Was it Ever Really Gone?
by livelovelast
Summary: They're off the island and Kate's with Sawyer. When certain circumstances bring Jack back into her life, she has to make a descision all over again. Did she ever stop loving Jack? JATE
1. Guilt

_Summary: After they get rescued, Kate's with Sawyer. However, certain circumstances bring her back to Jack, and she has to make a descision all over again. Was her love for Jack ever really gone?_

_Summary's bad but the story's better_ :)

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Kate Austen stood outside a convienince store called Happy Mart. _What a stupid name_, she thought. She sighed, and leaned against the brick wall. She had to wait for a few more minutes, until Sawyer gave the signal. She held the case tightly in her hands. She wouldn't admit it, but she was scared. She was scared everytime they did this, when they were running low on money. If a cop came, it would all be over. Her life was so complicated. She wondered if it would be better if she had chosen Jack. No, she thought, I love Sawyer. No, she thought again, he's great but I'll never be able to love him like he loves me.She knew she missed Jack. She would just never admit it. 

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye she saw Sawyer wave and point to a man about to walk past her. He was about 40 years old, and was slightly overweight.

"Hey, you want to buy a necklace?" she asked, opening the case to show about 20 necklaces.

"How much?" the man asked.

"Two hundred dollars a piece. A real bargain." she replied.

"They're fake, aren't they?"

"Are you kidding me? I wouldn't sell fake stuff. This is real."

The man looked down for a second, and Kate nodded towards Sawyer.He started to walk over.

"Well missy, you sellin' some fake necklaces here?" he asked.

"No, they're real", Kate replied.

"My father owns a jewlery store, so let's just see about that", Sawyer lied. Sometimes it amazed Kate how well he could lie. Then again, she was a pretty good liar herself.

Sawyer looked down at the necklaces and pretended to study them. "Well, well,well, she ain't lyin'. I'll be damned." he said."I'll take one, I need a present for my wife." He handed her the money and she took it.

The man, who had been watching the whole time, stepped up. "I'll take two," he said. "My twin daughters have a birthday coming up."

Kate took the money from him and he left, taking the necklaces with him. Sawyer walked away as well, and she waited until the man was out of sight to go find him.

"Great job, freckels. Sorry we had to do this", he said. He knew Kate hated conning people, but they needed money. It was the only way.

"Yeah", Kate replied softly. She couldn't help but feel guilty for what she just did.

"Hey, don't worry about it. It was just a necklace. I've done worse.", he said bitterly."Come here." He pulled her into his arms and placed a peck on her lips. "Let's go home."

_'Home'_, thought Kate. _'A small aprtament that we can barely fit in. I can't wait',_ but all she did was smile up at him. "Okay".

They lived closeby, so they began to walk home, through the crowded streets of LA. They had been walking in silence for about 10 minutes, when Kate spoke up.

"I'm going to look for a job. We can't keep doing this. If we get caught, I'm screwed. I still can't believe they let me off, but I'm on probabtion, remember Sawyer? If I get caught conning people, they'll lock me up."

"Sure, but good luck finding a job that will hire a murderer." he joked. However, Kate looked down silently. "Sorry, freckels, I was just kiddin'."

"Yeah, well it's not funny!" she exclaimed. They both stepped into the street to cross it. "I-" Just then she was was cut off.

A car was swerving down the road, coming straight towards them. Kate jumped out of the road, and she thought Sawyer was next to her. However, when she reached the sidewalk she heard a thud, and the screeching of car tires.

Turning around, Kate saw that the car was starting up again and speeding off. She looked around for Sawyer, and saw him laying on the street, not moving. She rushed over, and realized he wasn't breathing.

"Oh my god! Someone call 911!" she yelled. She grabbed Sawyer into her arms.

"It's going to be okay. We'll get you to a hospital. Someone's calling an ambulance", she looked over at the tall blonde woman who was calling 911,"I.." she tried to say I love you, but couldn't bring herself to say the words. "I'm sorry I yelled at you." she finished.

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_Can you guess what hospital they're going to? Review!_


	2. Dread

_Sorry it took so long to update. I hope I get more reviews on this chapter, so if you're reading, please, please review._

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An hour later, Kate was sitting in the waiting room of Saint Sebastians's Hospital, waiting to hear about Sawyer's condition. She was in one of those hard plastic chairs, and she couldn't get comfortable. She was worried about Sawyer, and she had been waiting for a long time.

A few minutes later, a nurse came out. "Ms. Austen?" she asked.

"That's me", replied Kate, standing up.

The nurse looked at her, and Kate tried to read her. The woman seemed sad, and gave Kate a look that was filled with pity.

"I'm sorry to tell you this, but Mr. Ford is in a coma. We don't know how long it will be before he wakes up, or if he will wake up at all."

Tears stung at Kate's eyes. "Can I see him?" she asked.

"Not yet. Right now he's in with the doctor. When he was hit, his spine was broken in numerous places, but we have our best spinal surgeon working on him. You're lucky, if you had come here a few months ago he wouldn't have been here", the nurse said. Normally Kate would have questioned her, but right now she just wasn't curious. She was too worried about Sawyer.

"I'll come get you when you can go in. You'll also need to meet Dr. Shepard, he'll be out in a minute-"

Kate cut in, "Did you just say Doctor Shepard?"

The nurse gave her a strange look, "Yes." she replied.

"As in, Jack Shepard?"

The nurse smiled, "Yeah, do you know Jack?" she asked.

Kate's face dropped. "Yeah, I know him."

_Flashback_

_Everyone was cheering after Jack had completed the rescue call. They were finally getting off the island! Kate had a hard time feeling happy about it though. She would have to go back on the run. No one noticed that she wasn't cheering along with everyone else. That is, no one except Jack._

_He walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asked._

_"I'm fine", Kate replied._

_Jack was silent for a minute. "You'll have to run again, won't you?" he asked._

_Kate looked down, "Yeah."_

_"Maybe they'll consider this island as torture enough", said Jack, trying to lighten the mood._

_"I don't want to run anymore, Jack" replied Kate, and tears began streaming down her face._

_Jack took her hand in his, "Let's go somewhere quieter", he said, and led her to a clearing a little ways away._

_"Kate, I don't know what happened to you, or what you did, but I'll support you. I don't know how a trial works, but if you need someone, I'm here", said Jack, holding her hand the whole time._

_Kate just stared at him. After all she had done to him, he still cared. She was overwhelmed with emotion, and she finally realized something. She loved Jack. She cared deeply about Sawyer, but she was in love with Jack. She started sobbing even more now, and buried her face in his shoulder._

_"It's going to be okay", said Jack, while holding her tight. Kate suddenly stopped crying and looked up at him. After a moment's hesitation, she crashed her lips into his and kissed him furiously. Jack was shocked, but kissed her back._

Kate sunk back into her chair. How had she happened to come to Jack's hospital? She had told herself she would never see him again. Why was fate so cruel as to bring them together, wondered Kate. How would she ever be able to face him again after what she had done to him?

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_There's more to the flashback obviously. Next chapter will have Jack in it, and it will explain why Kate is dreading o see him. Once again. please review!_


	3. I'm Sorry

Jack Shepard was having a normal day. He woke up, got ready, and came to work. After work, he would probably go home and order takeout, because it would be too late to cook dinner. Maybe he would invite his friend Joe, who lived across the hall, over to watch a football game. He might even call Tina, and see if she wanted to go out to dinner. They weren't dating, but they liked each other and had good conversations together. 

He wouldn't think about her that night. Kate, who had broken his heart twice, would not enter his mind. He couldn't stop thinking about her, and what he had done wrong to make her leave. He would try not to think about her that night.

Jack was wondering what he should do later,as he got a call for a patient who had been in a car accident. The man had broken his spine in numerous places, and had many other injuries as well. He was also in a coma.

Jack walked to room 48, and grabbed the file from the nurse. He skipped the name at first, instead looking at the injuries the patient had recieved. After he checked them over, he looked at the name. James Ford.

Somewhere in the back of Jack's mind he knew he had heard that name before, although he couldn't place it. He took a step over to the bed, and tried to see who it was through the substantial amount of injuries. That's when he realized it. The patient in the coma was Sawyer.

Jack jumped back a bit when he realized it, and the nurse gave him a concerned look.

"Are you okay, Doctor Shepard?" She asked.

"I'm fine, Jane", he replied shakily.

"Do you know this patient?" she replied.

"Well.. um.. he was on the island with me." Jack knew that everyone knew about the island, so the nurse nodded her head.

"Do you want me to assign another doctor to the case? Personal feelings can't get in the way of the operation and treatment, Dr. Shepard."

"No", Jack said quickly, "We weren't exactly friends." The nurse looked at him, confused. "Don't worry about it."

"There was a woman with him, you should probably meet-"

"Did the woman have a name?" Jack asked. No, it can't be.

"Yes, I think it was Austen. Umm.. Katherine Austen." The nurse replied.

Jack's heart sank. Kate, was here, in this hospital. He suddenly felt this day wasn't going to be so normal anymore.

_Flashback_

_Jack pulled away from kissing Kate. He was confused about why she had opened up, and finally chosen him over Sawyer, but he was thrilled. He smiled at her, and she smiled back, but her smile faded seconds later. She pulled away from Jack's arms and stared at him, much like the way she had after their first kiss._

_"Jack, I.. I can't. I'm sorry" Kate had tears streaming down her face once again, and Jack tried to hold her but she pulled back, as if she had been burned._

_"Stop! Jack, I can't do this." Kate said, sobbing hysterically now._

_"Kate, what's the matter with you?" Jack asked._

_"I'm in love with Sawyer", she said quickly, not looking Jack in the eye. "I can't do this to him."_

_She ran off, leaving Jack stunned and confused. She waited until she was far away from him to let the tears fall, and Jack didn't know about them. That's how it was supposed to be._

Jack quickly looked Sawyer over, and decided to do surgery later that day. The injuries in his back weren't life threatening, but the head injuries were. He would go into surgery for that soon. Maybe he would wake up after, maybe he would stay in the coma.

After checking his injuries, Jack knew it was time to face Kate. He took a deep breath, and then stepped into the hall.

She was sitting in the waiting room, and she looked as beautiful as ever. She didn't see him yet, but she had a look of dread on her face. She was dreading seeing him, he realized, and his heart sank.

He walked slowly over to her, and she finally looked up. She looked sad, but Jack thought it was just because of Sawyer. "Hi, Jack", she said with a small smile.

"Hi", said Jack. He didn't smile back.

"I missed you", she said softly.

He ignored her. "He's got quite alot of damage. He may come out of his coma after surgery, but there's no telling if that will happen."

Kate sighed. So Jack wasn't going to talk to her. She wasn't going to give up.

"It's been so long , Jack. I can't believe it."

"Well I can, Kate. You crushed me that day you told me you loved Sawyer. After that you never even looked at me. If we hadn't gotten rescued, you probably would have ignored me forever!"

Kate felt tears sting at her eyes. "I'm so sorry", she whispered.

"Sometimes sorry isn't enough, Kate", said Jack as he walked away. He was upset, but he was secretly glad that this time he was the one walking away.

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_Ok so this chapter was pretty angsty, but I promise there will be more Jate! Next chapter we will find out why Kate left Jack. Thanks so mch for the reviews!_


	4. Meet Me?

_Sorry it took so long for the update, and that this is so short. I wanted to give you something to read while I work on the next, longer, chapter. As always, please review. I really appreciate it._

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Kate watched Jack's back as he walked away, never looking back. Why had she let it get like this? She wanted to go after him, but she had to think first. She thought back to the day when they got rescued. 

Kate had run away again. She had left Jack behind and now she would go back to Sawyer. It seemed simple. It would be simple, if she wasn't in love with Jack.

She had always been attracted to him. The subtle flirting, the way he protected her, everything. At the same time, however, she knew he was too good for her. She couldn't let herself ruin him. She went to Sawyer.He was like her, he wanted her, and she knew that she would never have to measure up to him, or get his approval. She had been jealous of Jack and Juliet, but she had no reason to. Afterall, she was with Sawyer.

So why had she let herself kiss Jack? She had gotten wrapped up in the moment, and finally realized that she was in love with him. That was when she knew she had to leave him. She would destroy him if she stayed.

She had ran to Sawyer, never telling him about Jack. She loved Jack, but she didn't want to hurt Sawyer. She thought maybe someday she could love him. Now she knew she was wrong. Seeing Jack again proved that she still loved him.

The nurse came out of Sawyer's room, "You can see him now".

"Thank you," replied Kate, walking into the hospital room.She took a deep breath when she saw Sawyer. He was bruised and bandaged to the extent where he was nearly unrecognizable.

"Oh, Sawyer", she asid softly, "Look at you." She wished he could talk back. He would say something to make her feel better. She may not love him, but he was a great friend.

Just then, Jack walked in, "Mandy", he started, referring to a nurse, 'I forgot my-oh". He quickly stopped when he saw Kate,"Um, I have to go", he said, turning towards the door.

"Jack, we have to talk", said Kate, "You can't ignore me forever."

"It was working well until you came back," he said coldy.

"Please, let me explain", Kate tried.

"I can't talk now, Kate. I have patients to take care of." he turned around again. Kate remembered when he had wanted to take care of her.

"Wait! Meet me after your shift ends. At the coffee place down the street, you know which one I'm talking about?" Kate asked. Jack nodded.

"I really need to talk to you. Will you come?"

"If I have time, I'll stop by."

Kate got angry at that. "I'm not going to sit there waiting for you, Jack! Here's my number." She grabbed a pen from the table next to Sawyer's bed, and wrote it on his arm, "Call me if you can make it."

Jack didn't say anything, just nodded again and stepped out of the room.

Kate sank down on the bed next to Sawyer. Jack could be a complete ass to her, and she still wanted to see him. For the second time that day, she felt the urge to chase after him, but also for the second time, she stayed.

She found that she couldn't be in the same room as Sawyer, while thinking about how much she loved Jack. She went into the waiting room again, and sat in the same chair. Looking at the clock, she noticed it was almost eight o'clock. She had been in the hospital for nearly five hours, most of it sitting in this very chair, waiting to hear about Sawyer.

She grabbed a month old magazine, but couldn't focus on it. She tried to read it for almost an hour, and was about to go home, when her cell phone rang.

"Hello?" she answered.

"I'll meet you in five minutes."

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_I know, Jack is being kind of a jerk. I think he has a right to be though. Let me know what you think_. 


	5. Like A Soap Opera

Kate was sitting in the coffee shop, waiting for Jack to show up. It had been ten minutes, but he wasn't that late yet, so she just sat there. She had been doing alot of sitting today.

She heard the door open and looked to see Jack, freshly changed into his after work clothes. He sat down across from her, and she smiled, not getting a smile in return.

"What was so important I had to meet you here for Kate? Shouldn't you be with Sawyer?" Jack wasn't sure why he had even come. He had almost turned around at the door, but his curiosity got the better of him.

"No. We need to talk." Kate replied.

"Before you start, I need to talk to you about Sawyer. The operation was a success, but he's still in the coma. He's most likely going to stay that way for a while" Jack said.

Kat felt her stomach drop. She had been sure Sawyer would have come out of it after the surgery. Now he was going to stay in the hospital, and he may not get better. Also, she would have to see Jack.If things kept going the way they were, she wasn't sure she could handle that. "Okay. Um.. do you think he'll ever wake up?"

"I can't answer that. There's no telling what will happen."

Kate nodded. "I understand." Now she needed to move onto why she had brought him here. "We really do need to talk though. I feel horrible about what happened between us. I don't want you to hate me anymore."

Jack just looked the other way, but Kate wasn't going to take that. "Jack, talk to me", she pleaded.

"Kate, that day on the island I really thought you cared about me. I thought maybe, you would finally trust me enough to be with me, or at least give me a chance. I was wrong." Jack said bitterly.

Kate looked down at her hands. She couldn't look Jack in the eye. How could she tell him why she ran away? If she did, he would just say that he wouldn't judge her, and he would try to be with her. That was her original fear. They would become a couple, but he wouldn't realize he was too good for her. She would ruin him. She felt tears sting at her eyes, but wiped them away hoping Jack wouldn't notice.

"Jack, I never meant to hurt you. I shouldn't have kissed you, and I'm sorry", Kate said quietly.

"So why'd you do it? You didn't have to kiss me. You said you loved Sawyer, so why did need to kiss me before telling me that? Do you just enjoy hurting me?" he asked.

"No! Jack, how could you even think that?" Kate was shocked. She knew Jack was angry, but not this angry.

"It sure seems like it, Kate." Jack stared at her, trying to see some emotion. He finally noticed the tears slowly coming down her face, but she quickly wiped them away.

"I'm sorry."

"I already told you, Kate, sorry isn't enough. I think I might have loved you. Do you know how hard it is for me to love someone? Thanks for making it harder." He started to walk away, but Kate wasn't going to sit back this time.

"Wait! Don't leave. Do you really want to know why I left that day?" asked Kate. She didn't want to tell him. She wouldn't tell him the whole truth. Maybe it would make some of his pain go away if he knew some of it. That's all she really wanted. To take away his pain.

"Kate, that's all I ever wanted to know", said Jack, sitting back down accross from her, staring intently into her eyes.

"I.. I thought I was falling in love with you! Happy?" exclaimed Kate. She couldn't believe she had said it.

Jack stared at her, his mouth slightly open. She looked at his lips, trying not to think about how much she wanted to kiss them.

"Falling in love with me.." Jack repeated mostly to himself. Why had she gone back to Sawyer then? Why did she lie to him? He had to ask these questions.

"Why did you tell me you loved Sawyer?"

"I was scared, Jack! I've never been in love before, and I didn't know what to do." Kate still couldn't let herself be with him. She wouldn't change her mind. She would tell him things had changed, she didn't love him anymore.

"You could have told me, Kate. I loved you too! You didn't have to lie." Jack noticed they were getting strange looks from the other people in the shop. If Jack looked at it from an outsider's point of view, it did seem like a scene from a soap opera. However, this wasn't a sop opera, this was his life.

"I know." she said softly.

Jack paused. He had one more question. The most important question, and he had to ask her.

"Are you still.. in love with me?" he asked with an uncertain look on his face.

Kate meant to say no. It would have hurt him, but they would have both moved on with their lives. Apparently, though, she had no control over her words.

"I don't know", was her answer.

Jack nodded slowly. Kate wanted to run. She had admitted she wasn't completely over him, and that was the last thing she wanted to do. She couldn't run though. She had to ask him something.

"You said you loved me, right?" she asked. He nodded again. "Do you still?"

Jack thought about it. "I don't know", he repeated her words. "After all I've been through because of you, it's hard to imagine loving you. For some reason,though, it's even harder to imagine not loving you."

Kate gave a small smile against her will. However, Jack wasn't done.

"You hurt me so bad, Kate. I can't just forgive you for something like that. All I can offer you right now is friendship, but I can't say that I trust you. It will be a while before I can forgive and trust you" he said honestly. "So, can we be friends?"

Kate smiled at him again. "That's all I want."

Kate was happy. She could be friends with Jack and hopefully gain his trust back. She would get to be close to him without hurting him. She knew she would need a friend, what with Sawyer being in the coma. One thought stayed in the back of her mind though. How could she be so close to him, and not tell him how she felt? She would have to manage.

Jack hoped he could find a way to trust her again. He was still angry, but he could be her friend. He knew he still loved her deep down, but it would be hard to bring that back to the surface.

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Thanks so much for the reviews! I really appreciate them. I'm still fairly new to this, so it helps to know that people really like my writing. I totally agree with those of you who said Kate has to suffer. I think that being with Jack and not being able to really be _with him_ is sufferering! He can be her friend, because Jack's a good guy, but she's going to have to work to get his love and respect back.

Coming up: We see how their friendship goes and one of the other losties enters the picture.


	6. Some important phone calls

Jack walked into the hospital, ready for the first day of friendship with Kate. He had thought about it alot last night, and decided he could pull it off. They could be friends, even though he loved her. That's right, he loved her. After thinking about it for a long time, he realized those feelings were still there. He didn't know whether they were strong enough to survive all that she had done to him, but they were there.

He walked into Sawyer's room, and tried not to flinch at the sight of him. He had never been a huge fan of Sawyer, especially after all that had happened with Kate, but he still cared about him. It was hard seeing someone he knew so well in such awful condition.

While he was checking on Sawyer, Kate walked in. She didn't imediatly tell him that she was there, choosing to watch him. She loved everything about him. The way he walked, how he looked in his scrubs.. how could a man look so good in those?

She was brought out of her trance by the ringing of a cell phone. Jack reached down and picked it up.

"Claire? Is everything okay?" he asked. He was silent for a moment, then replied,

"I'm so sorry. Are you alright?" he paused, "I get out early today. Around two o'clock. Just go to my house and stay there for now. When I get out, I'll come pick you up." He listened some more and said,

"He did what!? Okay, don't worry. I won't let him near you. I'll see you later, alright? Bye." He hung up the phone and without even turning around said,

"Hey, Kate."

She gasped. He hadn't even looked back, and she hadn't made a sound.

He turned around and smiled at her suprise. "Reflection", he said simply, pointing to the window, where she could see herself.

"Oh", she said. She hadn't even noticed the window. "What's wrong with Claire?" she asked, not even trying to pretend she hadn't listened to the conversation.

Jack sighed. "It's a long story, but we've been talking for the past couple months. Ever since we were rescued. You know how hard it's been for her since Charlie.." he trailed off. Kate nodded.

"Well, she decided to move here, to L.A. Most of us stayed here, and she doesn't really have any family. She stayed with Sun and Jin for a while, until she could find an apartment. She finally found one, near my house, but she can't move in for two more weeks. So, she decided to go to Australia and get her things, see her mom."

"I thought you said she didn't have any family." interupted Kate.

"Her mother is in a coma. Well, she was. When Claire got there she found out her mother is dead."

Kate gasped. "Poor Claire."

"That's not all. Her ex-boyfriend, Aaron's father, showed up at her old house. He wanted to get back together, but Claire knew he just wanted some of the money Oceanic had given us. When she turned him down, he hit her", Jack actually looked sick talking about this.

"Oh my god!" exclaimed Kate, "Is she okay?"

"She's fine. She got away, and now she's back in L.A. She just called me and told me all of this, and she's at my house now."

"Claire.." Kate muttered.

"I feel horrible. Imagine all those things happening at once."

"Yeah, imagine.." replied Kate. She could relate to Claire. Her life before the island had been just as hectic as Claire's was now.

"So, how's Sawyer?" she asked, changing the subject.

"He's the same", replied Jack. Kate nodded. She hadn't expected a change.

"So, do you want to come by my house after I get out of here? I'm sure Claire would be happy to see you", said Jack.

"Yeah, I'd love to see her", replied Kate, wishing Jack were asking her over because he just wanted to be with her.

"Okay, will you meet me here when my shift ends at two?"

"Yeah", replied Kate.

Jack left to go check on his other patients and Kate sat down next to Sawyer. He was lifeless and still. As she stared down at his bruised face, Kate felt an overwhelming sensation of guilt. Sawyer was in a coma and Kate was.. well, she didn't know what she was doing. She wanted Jack to love her again, but that would just make it harder for her to leave him.

"I'm sorry", she whispered to Sawyer. She was sorry, for everything. She had led him on, made him believe that she loved him, when in reality he was just a replacement. She had tried to love him, tried to forget about Jack and move on, but she couldn't. She thought she could love Sawyer, but she found out she was wrong. He would always be her friend, but nothing more.

She noticed that she was really hungry, so she went to the restaraunt across the street and ordered breakfast. The rest of the day she walked through the streets, looking at shops that were way too expensive for her, until it was finally two o'clock. She quickly walked back to the hospital, and bumped into Jack, literally.

"Oh' I'm sor-" he began, then looked up. A smile lit up his face. "Oh, hey Kate."

"Hi, ready to go?" she asked.

"Yeah, my car's just outside." They walked out into the parking lot, and enjoyed the short car ride by fighting over radio stations. When they got to Jack's house, they practically ran inside. Kate only got a few seconds to see the outside of the house, but she could tell it was very nice.

"Kate!" she heard as she stepped inside, and the next things she knew she was being knocked back a step by Claire, giving her a huge hug.

"What are you doing here?" Claire asked, taking a step back and smiling at Kate. She cast a look at Jack that said, Why-didn't-you-tell-me-Kate-was-here?

"Well, it's a long story", Kate began. She told Claire about living with Sawyer, the car crash, and Sawyer's current condition. When she told Claire about the coma, Claire actually started to cry, which suprised Kate a little bit. Claire and Sawyer had never really been close, as far as Kate knew.It seemed to suprise Jack too, from the look on his face.

"Is he going to be okay?" asked Claire.

"We're not sure yet" replied Jack.

Claire nodded slowly, seemingly deep in thought. Kate took a moment to look around Jack's living room, with a flatscreen t.v. on the wall, and some comforable looking couches. It was a nice room, not overly done. She imagined the rest of the house would be somewhat like it.

She was torn out of her thoughts for the second time that day by Jack's cell phone ringing. He looked at the caller I.D. and sighed. "I'll be right back", he said before stepping out of the room.

Kate and Claire sat down. "It's so good to see you again", said Kate, while she discovered that the couches were as comfortable as they looked.

"I know! I've missed everyone so much", replied Claire.

Kate nodded. "It's wierd not seeing everyone everyday, you know?"

Claire's eyes filled up with tears. "Yeah" she said softly.

Kate could have hit herself. Obviously Claire would remember Charlie.

"I'm so sorry", she said putting a hand on Claire's shoulder. "You must miss him."

"Yeah," Claire choked out, 'He was just always there, you know. It's been five months, but I just can't believe he's gone. I loved him. You must kind of know how it is, with Sawyer."

"I don't love Sawyer", Kate said quickly, then regretted it. Now she would have to explain herself.

Claire looked shocked. "Then why-" she was cut off by Jack coming back into the room.

"Sorry about that" he said, looking annoyed by whatever had just happened. Claire gave Kate a look that said they would continue the conversation from before when Jack wasn't around.

"That's okay", said Kate, "Who was it?" she asked, realizing too late that she was being nosy.

A strange look crossed over Jack's face. "My mother".

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_Okay, not much jate this chapter, but I'll make up for it next chapter. Coming up: what does Jack's mother want, and how much longer will Jack and Kate be able to deny their feelings to each other?_


	7. Tell Him

"Your mother? Why's that bad?" asked Claire.

"My mother and I..don't have the best relationship." replied Jack, not wanting to get into the details. Kate could sense this, so before Claire could press the issue, she asked her own question.

"What did she want?" She could tell that whatever she said had upset Jack.

"She's having a memorial service for my father. He died, right before the plane crash. Anyway, she wants me to come, and I just don't know.." he trailed off.

Kate could tell that this was hard for him, and she tried to think of what to do to help. "I'll go with you."

"What?" asked Jack, taken aback.

"It's obviously going to be hard for you, and it will be better if you have someone with you. It's okay if you don't want me to," she replied.

"No, actually that would be great", said Jack, smiling at her.

"Okay, when is it?" she asked.

"Sunday."

"Sunday? It's already Thursday! She just told you now?" exclaimed Kate. What if Jack had plans that day? His mother seemed pretty inconsiderate.

"We don't talk much" replied Jack simply. He decided to change the subject. "Well, I have to go get some food if Claire's going to be staying with me. You two don't mind if I step out for a while, do you?"

"No, actually I was just going to talk to Kate about something", said Claire. Kate cringed, but Jack didn't see her.

"Okay", said Jack. He knew they had to catch up. The minute he left, Claire started in on Kate.

"What's this about not loving Sawyer? You were living with him, weren't you?" she asked.

"Yeah, well, it's a long story." Kate said.

"Aaron's asleep upstairs. I've got nothing but time", said Claire.

Kate sighed. With a some more promting from Claire she began to tell the story.

"Well, you know that I lived with Sawyer after the island", she began.

Claire nodded, "And I assumed you were together."

"We were", Kate said, earning a confused look from Claire.

Kate took a deep breath. Should she tell Claire everything? Should she tell her she loved Jack? That she used Sawyer? She didn't want to, but she felt the need to tell someone.

"I lived with Sawyer after we came back because I wanted to love him. I wanted to, but I couldn't, because I loved someone else." Kate started. Claire's eyes widened. "Jack", Kate continued, "I thought I loved him after I kissed him the first time. I wasn't so sure about it then, but I was when he made the rescue call. I couldn't stand the thought of never seeing him again. I kissed him, but I took it back and I ran away. I went back to Sawyer and I tried to love him instead." Kate had tears slowly streaming down her face now. "I told Jack I loved Sawyer! I lied to him and I hurt him!" She practically yelled the last part. She had hurt Jack so bad, and she was angry at herself.

Claire got out of her seat and hugged Kate. "Why?" was all she asked.

"Claire, I was a fugitive. I ruin everything and everyone I get close too. I couldn't do that to Jack. He's too good for me." She sobbed.

"Kate, no one is too good for you", Claire told her. "Jack loves you-"

"No he doesn't", Kat cut in. "He told me he did, but now he doesn't. How could he love me after what I did to him?"

"Kate, he's confused. He doesn't understand you, and he may not know it, but he loves you. I know it, Sun and Jin know it. Hurley even knows it", she laughed. "Jack hasn't been the same since we got back. The only time I've seen him truly happy is when you're name comes up in a conversation." she paused. "If you really love him, you need to tell him."

Kate was silent. Should she tell Jack she loved him? That she had never stopped?

"I can't", she said softly.

Claire didn't want to get in the middle of Jack and Kate's problems. However, she knew they both loved each other, and they were both too stubborn to admit it.

"If you don't, I will", said Claire.

Kate's eyes widened, "No, Claire."

"Kate, I love both of you, you know that. If I thought for one second that Jack didn't love you back, I would tell you to move on, but he does love you. If I have to force you two to see that, I will" Claire responded. Claire knew she would never tell Jack herself, but Kate didn't have to know that.

Kate sighed. "Fine. I'll tell him. After the memorial service, I'll tell him."

Claire smiled. "Okay. Now we need to figure out what to do with Sawyer".

At the mention of Sawyer's name, Kate felt the guilt come back. Luckily, she was spared talking about it because Jack chose that moment to walk through the door. She quickly wiped the tears from her eyes, and hoped Jack hadn't noticed them.

"I'm back. Do you two think you could help me unload the groceries?" he asked. Kate and Claire nodded and got up to help him. The whole time they were together, Kate could see that Claire's eyes were glued to the two of them.

* * *

The next few days went by suprisinly fast. Kate saw Jack often at the hospital, but they usually didn't have much time to talk. Just the occasional smile and 'hello'. She spent alot of time in Sawyer's room, to make up for not being there before. Or maybe it was to get rid of some of her guilt. Maybe it was both.

Sunday was here and Kate had gone shopping the day before. Jack had said that the service would be semi-formal, so she had bought a dress. She thought she looked ridiculous in it, but then she was used to seeing herself in jeans and a t-shirt.

She was sitting on the couch waiting for Jack to pick her up, and trying to keep her dress looking nice. He had said he'd be there by noon at the latest, and it was quarter past. She was about to call him to make sure everything was alright, when she heard a knock at the door.

"Sorry", said Jack when she answered, "Aaron was having a tantrum so I helped Claire before I came. It took a little longer than I expected."

"It's okay", said Kate. The less time she had to spend at the service the better. From what Jack had told her, his mother wasn't very nice. Kate had a feeling she wouldn't be fond of an ex-fugitive.

"You look great," said Jack. Kate blushed. If anyone else had said that she would have brushed it off, but from Jack it was different.

"Thanks, so do you", she replied.

"Well, I guess we should go", Jack told her, looking at his watch. Kate nodded.

As they stepped out the door, Kate remembered the previous Thursday. She had promised Claire that she would tell Jack about her feelings. She had dreaded it all week, but it had slipped her mind this morning. Now that she remembered, it was all she could think about.

* * *

_Took a little while to update, sorry about that. Anyway, I only got a few reviews last time. Please, if you are reading, take the time to leave a review. It motivates me to write more, which will lead to faster updates:)_

_Next chapter: How will Jack's mother react to Kate? Will Kate tell Jack she loves him? _


	8. Jealousy and Outbursts

_I am so sorry it took so long to update! I've been so busy lately, and I will be until the summer ends, so try not to expect regular updates. I'll try my hardest though! I hope this chapter was worth the wait. I cut it down a little, so I'll include my original plan in the next chapter. Enjoy!_

* * *

The car ride to the service was quiet. Jack had tried to make conversation, but Kate was so nervous she could hardly speak. Why had she promised Claire to tell Jack everything? Why had she even volunteered to go today? Looking to her left, she remembered why. Jack was peering over at her, a concerned look on his face. She gave him a small smile, and his expression changed completely to a smile as well.

They pulled into the church parking lot, and Jack stopped Kate before she got out of the car.

"Okay, my mother doesn't know you're coming", he said. Seeing Kate's shocked expression, he continued. "Trust me, it's best that way. Most of my family is pretty horrible, just try and lay low. My friend Marc's coming, you'll like him. He's engaged, but this is the first time I'm meeting his finacee."

He smiled at Kate as she tried to take in everything he had just said. "Anything else?" she asked.

"I think that's it", he laughed. "Well, there's a small party after the service.My mother says small, so it will probably consist of only about one hundred people" he joked. "We won't stay there long."

Kate nodded. She was as ready as she'd ever be. "One last thing", said Jack.

"What?" Kate asked, ready for more instructions on which family members to avoid.

"Thanks for coming."

Kate smiled and he grabbed her hand as they walked inside together. Reaching the entrance, Jack took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

"Jack!" A woman's voice rang through the church. "You were supposed to be here twenty five minutes ago! The service starts in half an hour, you were supposed to come early and help! And who's this?"

"Hello, mom", said Jack, "I got tied up with something, sorry."

The woman who's voice they had heard stepped closer. Looking Kate up and down she said, "That doesn't tell me who your guest is".

"This is Kate", Jack said simply.

"Jack, don't be stupid, introduce us properly." His mother said coldly. "Or does your own mother not have the right to know when you are seeing someone?"

"Kate and I aren't dating", said Jack, and Kate's heart sank. "She's a friend, we met on the island. Kate, this is my mother."

Kate held out her hand, "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Shepard."

Shaking Kate's hand, Jack's mother replied, "Please, call me Margo".

Kate forced a smile at the woman's cold tone and said, "Jack's was great on the island, you have a really special son". Jack smiled appreciativly.

"Yes, yes, I'm sure" said Margo dismissivley. Kate's smile changed to a frown. How could this woman not appreciate Jack for all he had done?

"Well, I best be going. The service will be starting soon and I must be ready", said Margo. Without looking back, she dashed off to the other side of the room.

Jack watched her leave then turned to Kate. "Such a nice woman, isn't she? Sorry she was rude to you."

"It was fine. I'm used to people being rude to me", she said, thinking of Wayne. Jack gave her a worried look, but Kate was spared the trouble of explaining by another voice, this one much friendlier.

"Hey, Jack!"

Jack and Kate spun around to see a man about Jack's age striding towards them, smiling broadly. A pretty woman with black hair walked along side him.

"Marc!" exclaimed Jack upon seeing his friend. "How are you?"

"Great, and by the looks of this fine woman, you're doing great as well", he said, smiling at Kate. The woman at his side gave him a playful smack.

Kate blushed and laughed. Jack put his arm around Kate and gestured toward the man in front of them.

"Kate, this is Marc. Marc, this is my friend Kate, we met on the island."

"Oh, so this is Kate!" said Marc. "I've heard alot about you. So, are you really as amazing as Jack says you are?"

Now it was Jack's turn to blush. Kate laughed and replied, "I don't know about that."

Marc turned to the woman beside him. "This is Kierra, my fiancee."

Kierra shook both Jack and Kate's hands. "It's wonderful to meet you both." she said.

They were soon interupted by Margo's voice calling, "Jack! The service is staring. Come sit by me!"

Jack turned to Marc and Kierra. "We'll see you later."

They went their seperate ways and got to the front row where Jack's mother was seated. There was one seat next to her, leaving no room for Kate.

"Mom, we need more room", Jack said, and Kate could see his anger rising already.

"Oh, I forgot. Kate, would you mind sitting a few rows back?" asked Margo.

"Actually-" began Kate, but she was cut off by Jack's angry voice.

"If Kate doesn't sit here, I don't sit here."

"Jack, it's fine, really", said Kate, not wanting to start anything between Jack and his mother.

"No, Kate, it's not. Mom, either someone moves down, or I'm going back."

Margo's eyes flashed furiously, but she tured to the man next to her and said, "Trevor, sit behind me". The man got up, and Jack and Kate sat down.

"Sorry about that," Jack said under his breath.

"It's okay," Kate wispered back.

The next hour went by with a priest talking about Jack's father, and a few friends and collegues speaking about him as well. Margo made a short speech about how good of a husband and father he was, at which point Kate heard Jack let out a small laugh. It made her wonder what had happened between him and his parents to make things like this, but she refrained from asking.

When the service was finished, Jack drove them to his mother's house where the 'small' party was taking place. They walked around, Jack introducing Kate to family members, then the two of them trying to escape said family members as soon as possible. Kate thought she had seen the worst of it, but she was wrong.

"Jack, is that you?" asked a female voice, and Kate felt a surge of jealousy. A tall blonde woman came over and threw her arms around Jack.

"I haven't seen you in ages!" she exclaimed. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, Laine. How are you?" Jack asked.

"I'm fantastic, now that I'm seeing you again," she giggled. "And who's this?" she asked, throwing a look at Kate.

"This is my friend Kate." Jack relied. Kate gave a light shudder at his use of the word 'friend' once again. "Kate, this is Laine. We used to date, our mothers are good friends."

"That's nice", said Kate stiffly.

"So, Jack," continued Laine, ignoring Kate, "I heard about the plain crash! How horrible!"

"Yeah, it was pretty bad, but I did meet Kate there", Jack replied and Kate beamed. She didn't usually get so jealous, but with Jack it was different. She remembered watching him on the beach with Juliet, and using Sawyer to ease her own pain. Thinking about it, she felt the now farmiliar pang of guilt.

"Oh, that's good", said Laine, "Well, I have to go, Jack. Here's my number," She reached into her bag and got a pen, which she used to write her number on a piece of paper. She handed it to Jack. "Call me sometime", she said with a wink, and walked away.

Kate glared after her, which didn't go unnoticed by Jack.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"Nothing," she mumbled.

"Kate, what's wrong?" Jack asked again.

She started walking away from the crowd. "How can you stand her? Give me a call sometime?" Kate did a high pitched imperssonation of Laine.

"What's wrong with Laine, Kate? I've known her since we were teenagers!" Jack exclaimed.

"She's fake, that's what! And she wants you, she couldn't make it any more obvious! She was all over you!" Kate's voice rose.

"What's wrong with that? Why do you care if she's all over me? If I didn't know better, I'd say you were jealous!" Jack's voice rose to meet Kate's.

"Maybe I am!" exclaimed Kate, staring into Jack's eyes.

"Why would you be jealous?" he asked.

Kate took a deep breath. "Because I love you!"

* * *

_Good? Bad? Horrible? Let me know in a review!_


	9. Reaction

_"What's wrong with Laine, Kate? I've known her since we were teenagers!" Jack exclaimed._

_"She's fake, that's what! And she wants you, she couldn't make it any more obvious! She was all over you!" Kate's voice rose._

_"What's wrong with that? Why do you care if she's all over me? If I didn't know better, I'd say you were jealous!" Jack's voice rose to meet Kate's._

_"Maybe I am!" exclaimed Kate, staring into Jack's eyes._

_"Why would you be jealous?" he asked._

* * *

No. She didn't just say that, did she? She didn't just tell Jack she loved him in the middle of a fight about his ex-girlfriend. 'Great timing, Kate' she thought to herself.

Jack just stared at her, until he seemed to realize it was his turn to speak.

"I.. um, you.." he trailed off.

"Wow, Jack, I didn't think I'd ever see the day that you were speechless", Kate said, trying to lighten the mood.

"Well, I didn't think I'd ever see the day when the woman I love told me she loved me too", Jack replied, his face finally cracking into a slight smile.

Now it was Kate's turn to be speechless. "Really?" was all she could manage to say.

"Really", Jack replied.

This could have turned into one of those movie scenes, and Kate would rush into Jack's arms, but it didn't. At least, not at first. They stared at each other for a moment, neither knowing what to do with the new information. Finally, Jack's lips met Kate's in a passionate kiss. She felt as if she might explode, she had never had a kiss like this one.

"Oh, sorry!", came a voice. Kate and Jack broke apart quickly, and saw the retreating form of Laine rushing away. Kate tried not to laugh, but gave in when she saw Marc laughing from the other side of the room.

"You should have seen the look on her face", he said when he reached them, "So Jack, I thought Kate was just a friend."

Jack grinned. "Well, she was. Until about a minute ago." He laughed, but then a worried expression crossed his face.

"What's wrong?" Kate asked.

"My mother", Jack muttered. Kate turned around and saw Margo coming towards them.

"What time is it?" Jack asked Marc. Marc looked at his watch. "Ten past three".

"Come on, Claire", Jack muttered under his breath. Before Kate could ask him what Claire had to do with anything, Margo was at her side.

"What are you three doing over here? Marc, where's your fiancee? Jack, you should be talking to the guests, not huddled away with her". She shot a look at Kate.

"Mom, I'll do what I want. It's none of your business what we're doing." Just then Jack's cell phone went off.

"Hello?" he paused.

"What?! I'll be right there! No, it's fine. Okay." He quickly shut his phone and turned to Kate.

"Claire needs us. It's urgent." Kate couldn't help but notice that he was shaking his head slightly, as if to say he was lying.

"Okay", she answered slowly.

Jack turned to Marc, who was explaining to Margo that his fiancee was in the restroom, and said, "I have to go. I'll talk to you later."

Marc nodded, but Margo grabbed Jack's arm. "You can't leave now! Dr. Spear hasn't made his speech yet."

"Mom, I don't have time to listen to some doctor try and point out the good time's dad had in his career,up until he was kicked out of the hospital."

"Because of you!" excalimed Margo.

"My friend needs me, and I have to go." Jack said.

"Fine, but this friend better be in serious trouble!" said Margo, then she turned and stomped off.

"What's wrong with Claire?" asked Kate urgently.

Jack gave her a small smile. "Nothing. I told her to call if we weren't back by three. My mother wouldn't have let me go unless there was an emergency."

Kate and Marc laughed. "Good planning", said Kate.

They said their goodbyes to Marc and walked into the driveway. "So, you met my mother. Charming, isn't she?" said Jack while they made their way into the car.

"She was pretty hard on you, Jack. Are you okay?" asked Kate, opeining the car door.

"I'm used to it", Jack replied casually. He put the key in the ignition, but nothing happened. He tried again, and the engine made a small noise, but then stopped.

"Shit", Jack muttered under his breath, then turned to Kate. "I'll call Claire and see if she can come pick us up. I've been having alot of car trouble lately, and I should have expected this." He picked up his phone and quickly explained to Claire about their problem.

Ten minutes later, they saw Claire's car pull into the driveway. They thanked the tow truck driver, and walked over to Claire.

"Hey, guys. Sorry, but someone's going to have to sit in the back seat with Aaron."

"It's okay, I'll do it", said Kate.

"Okay, let's-" Claire stopped speaking suddenly, and both Jack and Kate turned to see an astonished look on her face.

"What's the matter?" asked Jack.

"I.. is that your dad?" asked Claire shakily, pointing to the large picture of Jack's father.

"Yeah, why?"

"You know about my mom, right?" Kate and Jack nodded. "When she was in the hospital, a man paid all the medical bills for me, someone I had never met before."

Kate and Jack nodded again, wondering where she was going with this.

"He came to visit me, and that was him. The man in the picture."

Jack stared at Claire, confusion writted across his face. "Why would my dad pay your mom's medical bills?" he asked.

"Because.. he's my father."

A long silence filled the air, with Kate looking back and forth between Jack and Claire, both of whom were looking at each other as though seeing the other for the first time.

"So that would make you my sister," Jack said, a small smile starting to form.

"Yeah, I guess it would," replied Claire, with a smile to mirror her newly discovered brother's.

"Sorry to break up the family reunion, "said Kate with a laugh, "but your mother's getting close. I don't think it would be a good idea for her to see your friend who's supposed to be having an emergency."

The three of them stepped into the car, and spent the whole ride talking about the new connection between Jack and Claire.

"So, did you tell him?" Claire asked Kate quietly while they walked to the house. Jack was ahead of them unlocking the door, where he couldn't hear them. Kate nodded and Claire gasped.

"I didn't think you would do it!" she exclaimed.

"Do what?" asked Jack as they reached him.

Kate shot a warning look at Claire, who replied, "Oh, nothing."

An hour later, after reliving their day to Claire, Jack offered to give Kate a ride home.

"Don't you need a car for that?" she asked.

Claire laughed as Jack blushed. "You can use mine", she said.

The car ride home was quiet, with the two giving each other an occasional small smile. They hadn't really talked about what happened, except for briefly telling Claire, who had acted suprised.

When they arrived at Kate's appartment, Jack walked her upstairs. They stood awkwardly in front of her door, neither knowing what to say to each other. Finally, Jack broke the silence.

"I meant what I said earlier. I don't know where we're going to go with this, but if you want to work at it, I do too."

Kate smiled and gave him a peck on the lips. "Don't worry about it." She then smiled, and with one last wave, walked into her apartment.

* * *

**Sorry that update took forever, but I was away for a while, and I will be again soon.Wow, writing the brother/sister thing was harder than I thought it would be! Anyways, drop a review! Thanks.**

**Coming up: Jack and Kate discuss their new relationship, and talk about what they should do about Sawyer.**


	10. Promises

_I'm not sure how this chapter turnes out, but I've been pretty discouraged writing wise. I didn't get many reviews last chapter, and they really motivate me. I have so many other ideas, and if people don't like this one, I can move on to another.If you're reading the chapter, I'd really appreciate it if you left a review! Thanks._

* * *

Jack and Kate didn't get much sleep that night. Kate was too busy thinking about Jack, and being filled with happiness, then about Sawyer, and being filled with guilt. How would he react to waking up from a coma and seeing his girlfriend with another man, with Jack? That is, if he did wake up. She had quickly shaken that thought out of her mind. He would wake up, he had to. She would find a way to tell him, and everything would be okay. That was, if this even worked out with Jack.

Jack lay awake in his bed, thinking about Kate. He knew he was in love with her, there was no denying it. He just still had some trust issues with her. Would she run away again? He wasn't sure if he could handle it if she did.

The next day at the hospital, they passed each other in the hall. Jack stopped her, and said, "Meet me in the cafeteria at twelve. That's when I have my lunch break."

Kate nodded, and continued on her way to Sawyer's room. That's when the thought struck Jack. What about Sawyer? He hadn't even thought of that before. He tried to clear his mind, he had a surgery to perfom, he couldn't be thinking about this. He could ask Kate about it at lunch.

Meanwhile, Kate walked into Sawyer's room. The sight of him made her eyes fill up with tears. He was just laying there, clueless as to what was going on.

"Hi", she wispered, "It's Kate. I don't know if you can hear me. I heard somewhere that people in comas can sometimes hear people who talk to them." She sighed. "I don't know it it's true. Anyways, I just had to say I'm sorry. You don't know what I did yet, but when you find out, you'll probably hate me. I wouldn't blame you if you did." She paused. "You probably can't even hear me." She stood up, ready to walk out of the room, and then stopped.

"But I really am sorry."

By this time it was almost noon, so Kate walked to the cafeteria and bought a drink while she waited for Jack. He showed up at five past twelve and took a seat across from her.

"How did the surgery go?" Kate asked.

She shouldn't have even asked, she realized, just by looking at his face. His expression was so grief-ridden it was hard to look at.

"We lost her", he said quietly. "She was only fourteen years old. Fourteen! She had a family, friends, her whole life ahead of her." He shook his head. "You should have seen her mother's face."

Kate reached across the table and grasped his hand. "It's okay. They know there's nothing you could have done."

"I guess so", he said unsurely.

"I know so", she said firmly. "Jack, you can't blame yourself for this. It isn't your fault."

Jack looked up at her, looking a little bit less distressed. "Okay."

They made other small talk, noticing how nice the weather was, what they watched on t.v. last night, and how Jack was thinking of getting a dog. They both knew they were avoiding the bigger issue, and finally Jack said,

"Kate, we need to talk about last night."

Kate cast her gaze downward. "I know."

Jack gave her a long look. "That's all you have to say?"

"No." She paused. "Jack, I love you. I want to be with you, but how can it happen? We're so different, and I'm not good enough for you, and I need-"

Jack quickly cut her off. "Not good enough for me?" he exclaimed. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about how you're the best spinal surgeon in the state, and you help people everyday! You're perfect, Jack, and me, I'm just a former fugitive who cons people to get money."

"Kate, come on", he said, rising from his chair. He took her hand, led her out of the cafeteria, and walked over to his secretary.

"Melanie, I'm taking the rest of the afternoon off. I don't have any surgeries left today, so I think it's okay."

"Yeah, sure, Dr. Shepard", said the blonde woman behind the desk. "You need a day off." She turned her gaze to Kate. "If you can get him to take a day off, I hope you stick around", she said with a smile.

Kate gave her a small smile in return, then followed Jack out of the buliding. Since his car was in the shop, Jack hailed a cab and they drove to Jack's house. He claimed they needed more privacy, and Kate was thankful he had thought of that.

Once they were settled in his living room, with Claire upstairs with Aaron, Jack began talking again.

"Kate, I never want to hear you say you're not good enough for me. You are more than good enough for me, you're the only person for me. So please, don't ever think that."

"But Jack, you could have any woman with a snap of your fingers, why would you ever want me?" Kate asked.

"I don't know, Kate, I really don't. Maybe it's because I can't have you with a snap of my fingers. I have to work so hard to be with you, and at times it gets so aggrivating I just want to give up. But I can't give up, because I love you." Jack answered.

The honesty in what Jack just said brought tears to Kate's eyes. She had hurt him so badly, and he was still in love with her. She knew she wouldn't find that kind of devotion in anyone else, not even Sawyer.

"Jack, I love you too. I really do, and I don't love easily. Everytime I've loved someone in the past, it's turned out badly. Maybe it's easier not to love, than to lose the person you love."

"Kate, I will never leave you. You don't have to worry about that", Jack said softly.

"You can't say that. That's what everyone says, but it's a lie. My mom left me, because of what I did, and she said she would never leave me!" Kate exclaimed.

"Kate, it's okay. Calm down", Jack said, while putting his arms around her.

"I'm sorry", she said quietly. "I just.. don't want to lose you. Not again."

He didn't think now would be a good time to remind her that it was her fault that she had lost him. He gave her a soft peck on her lips, and said, "Kate, I will never leave you, if there's anything I have control over. That's a promise."

Jack felt her head nod into his chest, and they just sat quietly until Kate composed herself again. Jack had one question to ask her, however, and he knew this was the time to do it.

"Kate, before we go any further with this, you have to make me a promise too", he said, "You have to promise me you won't run away again."

She was quiet for a long time,almost too long. Just when Jack was beginning to get worried, she turned to him and said sincerely, "I promise."

Suddenly, Jack remembered his thought from earlier when he had see Sawyer's room. "Kate, I hate to bring this up, but what about Sawyer?"

Kate sighed. "I've been thinking about that alot. I feel horrible. I care about him, but I don't love him. I don't want to hurt him, but I know that no matter what, he's going to be hurt by this."

"It's not your fault that you're not in love with him. I'm sure he'll understand." He saw the look she gave him, and added, "Not right away, but someday, he'll understand."

"I guess so", Kate replied uncertainly.

Just then, Claire came downstairs with Aaron. "Hey, would you guys be interested in going out to dinner? I'll get a baby-sitter for Aaron. I haven't gone out in so long, it would be really nice."

Jack looked at Kate. "Is that okay?" he asked.

"Yeah", she said. "That will be great."

They spent the rest of the night talking, laughing, and sharing memories from the island. Claire mentioned that she was going to a job interview tomorrow, and Jack and Kate wished her luck. It was one of the best evenings Kate had seen in a while, and she couldn't remember a time when she had felt happier than right now.


	11. Eviction and Relocation

**I'm trying to update quicker now, so hopefully that will make you all happy! I know how this is going to end, and I have certain events ready, I just need to fill in the space in between. I was experiencing writer's block for a while, but I've got some more inspiration now, so updates should come sooner!**

* * *

Kate sat in her apartment, gazing at the letter in her hands. She had found it shoved under the door when she arrived home. She read it over and over agin, each time hoping that she would see something different.

_James Ford and Kate Austin,_

_You have been living in this apartment for five months now. I have not recieved any rent from you since the first month. I regret to inform you that I will have to evict you, unless you can come up with the money you owe by this time next week._

_Sincerely,_

_Ted Ryson, landlord._

She knew she would never be able to earn the money she needed by that time. She had forgotten all about getting a job, and apparently Sawyer had been lying about paying the rent. She didn't know where to go, since she knew she would have to leave her apartment.

She tried not to think about it for now. She was going have dinner with Jack, and she didn't want to worry him. She knew that if he found out, he'd want to help, and she didn't want to burden him.

She slowly walked to her bedroom, changed her clothes, and waited for Jack to arrive. Ten minutes later there was a knock on the door. She opened it expecting to find Jack, but instead staring into the face of her landlord.

"Miss Austin?" Ted asked.

"Yes", she replied, dreading the conversation she knew was coming.

"I hope you got my letter." Seeing her nod, he continued, "I'm really sorry about that. You seem like a nice person, but if you don't pay, you can't stay."

"I know. I think I can have the money by next week", she lied.

"Okay, I hope so. Have a nice evening", he said, then walked out, nearly bumping into Jack.

"Sorry", said Ted, and continued on his way.

Jack walked into Kate's apartment for the first time, after learning her adress, and asked, "Who was that?"

"My landlord", Kate said. It was alot easier to lie to her landlord than Jack. She hoped he'd just accept her answer and move on.

She should have known better. "What did he want?" Jack asked.

"Just something to do with the electricity", she answered, looking downward, feeling bad for lying to Jack.

"Okay.." he replied uncertainly, reminding himself to ask her more about it later. If they didn't leave now, they would be late for dinner.

They arrived at the restaraunt in time for their reservation, and sat down to order their meal.

"Kate," Jack began, "Why was your landlord really at your apartment?"

Kate tried to keep her composure even though she was shocked, and asked, "What do you mean?"

"I mean I know you were lying about the electricity", Jack said confidently.

"I don't know what you're talking about", Kate said softly, knowing she sounded less than convincing. No one could ever tell when she was lying before. Jack knew her too well.

"Kate, if this is going to work we have to be honest with each other."

"Fine", Kate broke down. She wasn't going to lose Jack over some stupid rent issue. "I thought Sawyer had been paying the rent at our apartment, but I guess he wasn't. My ladlord was coming to tell me that if I couldn't get the money together, he would have to evict me."

"Son of a bitch" Jack swore under his breath.Kate wasn't sure if he was talking about the landlord, or about Sawyer. "How much?"

"Alot", she answered, not wanting him to freak out when he heard the amount.

"Okay". Jack went silent for a minute, then spoke again. "Well, you're just going to have to stay with me."

"What?" asked Kate, shocked.

"Well, I'm guessing there's no way of coming up with the money in time, right?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, but I can-"

"You can what, Kate? Live on the street?" asked Jack angrily. When Kate failed to answer, Jack said, "That's what I thought." Seeming to realize that he had taken on a harsh tone, he softened. "Kate, really, just come stay at my place. What's keeping you from staying with me?"

"I just don't want to be a burden, Jack. You already have Claire and Aaron there, you don't need someone else getting in the way."

"Kate, I love you. You wouldn't be getting in the way at all", Jack assured her.

Kate smiled. She loved hearing Jack say those three words. "Okay, fine. But if you need me to leave, tell me."

"That won't happen," Jack replied.

The next few days were spent moving most of Kate's things into Jack's house. The large furniture, as well as Sawyer's items, were being put into storage. Kate would be getting a job, and Jack had offered to pay for the storage until she had enough money to do it herself. Kate had agreed, knowing full well that she would pay him back.

When they had finally put all of Kate's items into the second guest room, Kate to realize the awkwardness of the situation. Should she be staying in Jack's room? They were a couple now, and what kind of couple stays in seperate rooms? However, technically they had only been together for a short time, so normal people wouldn't be moving in together. Unfortunatly, Kate and Jack's situation wasn't normal. There were no ruled to follow, not even guidelines. They had to figure it all out on their own.

The first night Kate stayed there, her worries all went away. Jack and Claire were so welcoming, and Aaron was adorable. She had never spent much time with him on the island, but even after just one night, she knew there would never be a dull moment with him in the house.

That night, Kate crawled into her bed, and layed awake for hours. When she finally fell asleep, she was haunted by nightmares, the last of which involving Jack's death. After that particular one, she felt she couldn't stay alone. She tip-toed down the hall, and gently puched open Jack's door. His still form was lying in bed, perfectly fine. She was about to walk away, when she decided to forget about what was right. She walked over to the bed, and crawled in beside Jack, snuggling up to him, and immediatly feeling better. It didn't take much time after that for her to fall into a peaceful sleep.


	12. Confusion

Since so many of you wanted Jack's reaction, here it is:)

* * *

Jack raised his head drowsily, and started to swing his legs over the side of the bed. However, before they could reach the side, they gently hit something hard. He almost let out a yell, but stopped himself when he saw who the figure laying beside him was.

"Kate?" he wispered confusedly, but she didn't budge. He smiled, realizing she must have crawled in sometime after they went to sleep last night. He decided he like the feeling of waking up next to her, and lay there savoring it until his stomach growled with hunger. He quietly left the room, so as now to wake her, and went to make some coffee.

"Hey, Jack", said Claire when he entered the kitchen.

"Hi Claire. What's up Aaron?" The little boy smiled up at him, saying "Yuncle Dack!", which was his way of saying his uncle's name. Jack laughed.

"I can't believe he's starting to talk. He isn't even a year old!" exclaimed Claire.

"Well, some babies start to talk a little earlier, but I have to say, he's pretty advanced."

"Or maybe it's the fact that you've been trying to get him to call you Uncle Jack since the memorial", Claire said with a laugh.

Jack smiled. "Well, when you get a nephew like this one, you want him to know he's related to you."

Just then, Kate wandered into the kitchen, looking tired. "Hi", she said quietly.

"I forgot, you're not exactly a morning person", said Claire cheerfully.

"Yeah, and I forgot that you are", Kate said, before trying to stifle a yawn. Claire laughed.

"So, what do you want to do today?" asked Jack.

"Don't you have to work?" asked Kate.

"I took the day off", Jack answered, earning a look of suprise from both Kate and Claire. "What? It's not that shocking, is it?"

"A little", Claire replied.

"Well, I thought, since Kate just moved in, I would help her settle."

"You didn't have to take the day off for me", said Kate. She didn't want to put him out.

"Trust me, I'm not exactly missing it", Jack replied.

They spent the day walking around the city, Jack showing Kate around, since she hadn't seen much of it with Sawyer. Claire went with them for a while, then took Aaron home since he was getting tired.

That night, Kate waited until Jack fell asleep, before climbing into his bed again. She was pretty sure he wouldn't mind, since he hadn't said anything to the contrary. She continued doing that for a week, until one morning Jack decided to say something.

"You know, you don't have to wait until I fall asleep to sneak into my room", he said with a small smile.

Kate blushed. "I just wasn't sure if you wanted me in there."

"If I didn't, I would have told you", he replied, and after that, Kate didn't sneak in any more.

It just so happened that not sneaking in had its benefits. She got to watch Jack fall asleep every night, because he always fell asleep first, and she always woke up last. Also, she always got a kiss goodnight.

One night, the kiss became deeper. The next thing Jack knew, Kate was pulling at the waistband of his jeans. He broke the kiss and looked down at her.

"You sure?" he asked.

She smiled at him and nodded, before kissing him again. Before completely giving into her he whispered, "I love you", and was met with the same in response.

A month had gone by, and there was no change in Sawyer's condition. Kate went to visit him twice a week, because although she loved Jack, Sawyer was still very important to her. Jack and Kate's relationship just kept growing, and Claire began to feel like she was intruding. She never told them this, but she had secretly been looking for an apartment.

One morning over breakfast, Kate told them she had found a job.

"What is it?" Claire asked. She was very farmiliar with jobs and interviews, considering she had just gotten hired as a secretary a week earlier.

"A social worker. When I was younger.. I had a pretty rough childhood." She had never told anyone about Wayne except for Jack, and it was hard to talk about. He put a comforting arm around her, and she went on, "I want to make sure no other children have to go through that."

"That's great, Kate", Claire replied, feeling sorry for her friend, but glad that she had found a job that she liked. Kate had been getting frusterated by the fact that she couldn't find anything.

"Speaking of work, I have to get to the hospital", Jack said, finishing the last of his bagel and grabbing his jacket. He leaned over and gave Kate a kiss on the cheek. "I get out around five o'clock today. DO you want to go out to dinner later?"

"Sure, I'll stop by and see Sawyer around quarter past four and then I'll wait for you", Kate replied. She avoided looking in his eyes.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Sorry", she said quickly. "I'm fine, just tired. I didn't get much sleep."

"Yeah, I heard you getting up early this morning. Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, concern written on his face.

"Don't worry, Jack. I'm fine. Now go, you're going to be late." She gave Jack a playful shove, and he smiled and walked out the door. The minute he left, Claire turned to her.

"Okay, Kate, what's really wrong?"

"Nothing." Kate replied.

"Kate! I've been living with you for a month. You're my closest friend, I can tell when somethings bothering you."

"I'm late", Kate muttered.

"Kate, don't change the subject! Tell-"

"Claire, I mean, I'm _late_." Kate said, hoping she'd understand.

"What? I don't- oh! You mean, you're pregnant?" Claire exclaimed.

Kate gave a small nod. "I think so."

"Well, that's great!" Claire replied. "Why are you so upset?"

"I don't know if it's his!" Kate exclaimed. "I was with Sawyer too, you know. What if the baby isn't Jack's?"

"It's possible that it could be Sawyer's?" Claire asked, shocked.

Kate nodded. "I slept with him the night before the accident." How much she regretted that now. "And Jack was only two weeks later. I'm really late, Claire. There's a big possibility that it's Sawyer's!"

"What about the pill?" Claire asked.

"I was on it with Sawyer, but then the accident happened and I forgot about it. I went back on it right after, but I ran out a week later. I figured I wouldn't need it for a while, but then Jack and I-"

"Spare me the details", Claire said. "He _is_ my brother."

"Well, I wasn't on it then either, and I just.. oh my gosh, Claire! I was so irresponsible! How could I have let this happen? How could I do this to Jack, and to the baby?"

"Calm down, Kate. You don't even know if you're pregnant yet. The first thing we need to do is buy a test. Then we can figure the rest out." Claire said reasurringly.

Kate took a deep breath. "Okay."

* * *

**I know the ending may have been a little confusing, maybe even a little unlikely, but the chance of the baby being Sawyer's adds more drama to the story. If you find something that really doesn't make sense, feel free to tell me.**


	13. Answers

This chapter's a little short, but I couldn't think of much else to put in it. I do think it will make you pretty happy though!

* * *

"What does it say?" asked Kate. "It's not clear, I can't read it. Should we get another one? What if-" 

"Kate! Calm down, the times not up yet!" exclaimed Claire. She couldn't blame Kate for being anxious, but she thought she had a little more patience than this. Although, if Claire had been in her situation she would probably be even worse.

"I know, I'm sorry, but Claire? What if it's Sawyer?" Kate finished in a whisper.

"If there even is a baby, and it's Sawyer's, Jack will understand. Don't worry about it yet. For all we know, it could be Jack's."

"It's Sawyer's! It has to be! Good things don't happen to me, Claire!" Kate exclaimed.

All of a sudden an eruption of noise went off. The stove timer, an alarm clock, the microwave timer, and Claire's cell phone alarm all buzzed at once. Kate's shriek also added to the mix.

Claire jumped up to turn all the alarms off. "I don't see why you had to set them all", she mumbled.

"It's done! I can't read it, you do it", Kate said, holding the stick out to Claire.

Claire held the box and matched the symbol to the one in Kate's hand.

"You're pregnant".

-

Jack walked inside to find Claire and Kate together on the couch. Aaron was bouncing around on the floor with his new toy, but came running when his uncle walked in.

Seeing the toddler run off caught Kate and Claire's attention. They turned to the door to see Jack pick up the little boy, and walk over to them. Kate furiously wiped her eyes. How could they have forgotten Jack was coming home early?

The red puffiness of Kate's eyes didn't go unnoticed by Jack. "What's the matter?" he asked.

"Nothing, just a movie", said Kate quickly. Claire discreetly moved the test into her purse.

"Kate, you never cry during movies",Jack replied. What was going on?

"Yeah, well, this one was really sad", she said.

"What was it about?" he asked. What movie could possibly make Kate reduce to tears? Now Jack was curious.

"Damn it" Kate swore under her breath."Well, there was this woman, and she was with the man she really loved, and she found out she was pregnant." Kate began. Claire gasped, but so lightly only Kate could hear it.

"Why's that sad?" Jack asked.

"Well, she wasn't sure if the baby was his his. She was with another man not long before."

"That complicates things", said Jack, a strange tone in his voice.

"Yeah. It does", Kate replied.

"How'd it end?" asked Jack, his eyes boring into hers.

"I didn't see the ending" Kate said quietly.

"How long ago?" Jack asked, going from staring at her to not being able to look her in the eye.

"What?" she asked.

"How long ago did you sleep with Sawyer?" Kate gasped. He knew. Deep down she had hoped he'd figure it out, but now she didn't know what to do.

"The night before the accident", she replied, barely above a whisper.

"Okay," he said, trying. His expression suddenly changed It was like he was trying to hold something back. Then he broke into a smile.

"Why are you smiling?" Kate asked. He was happy the baby could be Sawyer's?

"It might be mine", he replied, wrapping his arms around her and kissing the top of her head.

"You have no idea how much I hope it is", Kate whispered. "I love you". Not able to hold it in anymore, she broke down into tears.

"Hey, Kate. Don't cry, it will be okay. We'll go to the doctor, and then you'll know, alright?" He felt her nod against his chest.

She lifted her head. "What if it's Sawyer's?" she asked.

"We can worry about that if we have to. For now, I'm going to make you an appointment, okay?"

"Okay", she whispered.

-

The week before her appointment was hell for Kate. Every night she would lie awake, thinking about the possible outcomes of the appointment. She didn't visit Sawyer, because she couldn't face him knowing she might be carrying his child.

Finally, the day arrived. Jack and Kate drove to the hosptital in complete silence, neither able to think of anything to say. When they reached the office, Kate made a strange request.

"Jack, do you mind waiting out here?"

"What?" he asked. "You want to go in alone?"

"If the news is bad, I want you to hear it from me, not some stranger", she replied.

Jack nodded, and took a seat outside the room. He gave Kate's hand a squeeze, and she walked slowly into the room.

A little while later, she walked back out, and held Jack's hand in hers again. The two word's she was about to say would change their lives forever.

"It's your's!"

Jack's face broke into the widest smile she had ever seen. The next moment his lips were crashing into hers, and she thought that the world couldn't get more perfect than this moment. That was, until her cell phone rang, and her world came crashing down.

"Miss Austen? We have some great news for you."

* * *

So, what's the news? And will Kate really think it's so great? Review and I'll update faster! 


	14. Not So Great News

Hmm, so most of you thought Sawyer woke up. Come on, I'm not _that_ predictable, am I: ) So there's some angst in here, but I put in a little something for you fluff lovers. Don't worry though, this hasn't become a totally fluffy story, there will be more angst! I'm actually working on another (very angsty) teen jate story, but I probably won't put that up for a while. I would rather finish this one first. I have no idea how long this will be though, so I don't know when that will happen.

* * *

"Great news? What's that?" asked Kate, thinking to herself that any news they gave her couldn't be better than the news she had just recieved. 

"We've found the will of your step-father, Sam Austen, and he seems to have left everything to you!" The woman on the end of the phone said cheerfully.

Time stopped for Kate. Her face dropped and she sank into a chair. Jack looked down at her, concerned, but she just stared blankly ahead.

"My dad?" she repeated.

"Well, our records have him listed as your step-father", replied the woman.

"I don't care about your damn records!" she exclaimed, getting strange looks from the people passing by. She shot them all a glare. "Are you telling me that my father is dead?" she asked.

This couldn't be happening. She hadn't seen him since she had gone on the run. She had to see him one last time. She had asked Sawyer to go see him with her, but he had said he didn't think it was possible. They didn't have the money, but she could tell Sawyer really didn't want to go. They had enough money to book a flight. It was right after the crash, they still had the money Oceanic had given them. However, she didn't think she could face him alone, after all she had put him through, so she stayed home.

"You didn't know?" the woman asked, her tone changing dramatically.

"Of course not! No one told me!" Jack grasped her hand in his and rubbed her back reassuringly.

"It says here that a letter was sent to your apartment".

Kate sighed. She didn't have a new address listed, so they had nowhere to forward her mail. She barely got any mail, so she hadn't seen a reason to fix things.

"I never got the letter", she said quietly.

"Why don't I let you go, and we can talk about this another time?", the woman said sympathetically.

"Thank you", replied Kate, and she hung up the phone.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked. Kate didn't reply.She pulled his hand down the hall. He followed her, concerned about what she was thinking of doing.

"Kate, where are we going?" he asked timidly.

She just kept walking. The hallway began to look very familiar, too familiar.

"Kate?"

She let go of his hand, and burst into Sawyer's hospital room.

"You bastard!" she yelled. "You selfish son of a bitch! I wanted to go see him! I wanted to make sure he was alright, and to apoligize! But no, you said we shouldn't go!"

Sawyer lay there, still as ever, but that didn't stop Kate.

"I'm never going to see him again! What if I could have helped him? I don't even know what happened to him! I didn't even get to see him one last time!"

Jack walked in, needing to stop her before the hospital staff came to see what was going on.

"Kate, you need to stop. You're going to get in trouble", he said gently.

"I don't care!" she shouted. "I don't care! My dad's gone, Jack! He's gone!" The thought seemed to hit her more now that ever, and her body racked with sobs. She fell into his chest, and he caught her and held her, trying to calm her down.

"It's okay", he said quietly, "It's going to be okay."

"No. No, it's not", she whispered, her head still buried in his chest, and Jack could feel his shirt getting soaked with tears.

"Come on, let's go home."

When they arrived home, Claire met them at the door. Upon seeing Kate's tear streaked face, she asked, "Oh my god, it's Sawyer's?"

"No,Claire,the baby's mine", Jack replied. Claire gave him a confused look. "I'll explain later."

He led Kate into the bedroom and had her lay down. She buried herself under the covers and gazed at him. "Jack, our baby isn't going to have any grandparents."

"What about my mother?" he asked.

"Jack. Your mother isn't going to want anything to do with my baby. She hated me", she shook with another sob.

"My mother didn't hate you. She's just.. cold", he replied. She gave him a knowing look. "Okay, now I see where you're coming from with the grandparent thing. It's alright though, she'll have Claire and Aaron."

"She?" asked Kate.

It took Jack a moment to realize what he had said. "Oh, I guess that just kind of came out."

"You want a girl, Jack?" Kate asked with a small smile, and Jack was happy to be distracting her.

"I guess so. I never really thought about it, but I think I do".

"Yeah? Well, I want a boy", she said, her smile widening.

"Why's that?" Jack asked.

"So he can climb trees with me", she said with a laugh.

Jack smiled. "Girls can climb trees too, Kate. You're a pretty good example of that".

"Yeah, well, a boy will be more willing. Not afraid to get dirty and a little scratched up. Plus, dad won't be as protective as he would with a girl", she stated.

"You think I'm overprotective?" he asked with mock suprise.

"No, I think you care", she replied, leaning up to give him a peck on the lips. "I think our baby will be fine, grandparents or no grandparents".

Jack turned serious. "Will you be fine?" he asked. "My father died too, Kate, I know how you feel."

Kate hung her head. "It's just hard, you know? I haven't seen him in years. I promised myself, if my name ever got cleared, I would visit him."

Jack scooted onto the bed and sat down beside her. He held her in his arms, and she continued.

"When we got off the island, I asked Sawyer if we could go. He said we didn't have enough money. That was bullshit!", she exclaimed.

"Kate, he couldn't have known what would happen." Jack didn't know why he was sticking up for Sawyer, but he didn't think it would be good for Kate to be so angry right now.

"If he loved me, he would have gone with me. He knew how much it meant to me."

"You know how Sawyer is. The thought of meeting your father probably freaked him out."

"I know, I just wish.." Kate trailed off.

"What?"

"Maybe, if I hadn't gone with Sawyer after the crash, I would have seen my dad. Maybe we could have had this", she gestured to her stomach, "earlier. I don't know who I'm more mad at. Sawyer, or myself."

"Hey, we all make mistakes", Jack said gently.

"Yeah, but why was mine so big?" she asked, making a noise that could have been a laugh, but Jack knew it was bitter.

"Let's not talk about Sawyer anymore, okay?" Jack suggested.

"Okay", Kate agreed. They sat in a comfortable silence, and then Jack asked, "Kate, if he was your father, why didn't they try harder to contact you? Just a letter, that's it? Wouldn't they find a way to tell his only daughter?"

"Jack, he wasn't my father", Kate said with a sigh.

"What?" Jack asked, shock and confusion written accross his face.

"I think it's time I tell you what I did."


	15. I Can't Hate You

_Sorry it took a while for this update. And now (finally)... Kate tells Jack what she did!_

_

* * *

_

Jack inhaled a sharp breath. He remembered last time she had offered to tell him, but this time was different. She was carrying his child, and he was in love with her. In order for their life to go on normally, he needed to know.

"If you want to", he replied.

She paused. "Um, this is really hard. I just hope you'll still want to even look at me when I'm done."

"I think there's a pretty good chance", said Jack.

"Okay", She sighed. "The first thing you should know is that Sam isn't my father. For a long time, I thought he was. Then my mother told me about Wayne. My real father". She went on to tell him about all the times she had witnessed her mother getting beaten, and the beatings she had gotten herself.

"I'll kill him", Jack growled out, and Kate almost laughed at the irony.

"You won't have to", she replied.

"He's dead?" Jack asked, confused.

"I killed him", she whispered. She paused, waiting for a reaction.

"You killed him?" he asked weakly.

She nodded. "I blew up the house, and he was inside. Purposely", she clarified, so Jack wouldn't think that is was an accident, and that she was any better than she was.

"I told my mother, and she turned on me. She told me she didn't want to see me anymore, and that she was telling the police it was me who killed him. My own mother, Jack! She loved him more than me, after all that he did to her! I just wanted it to stop", she sobbed. Then her expression changed, and her eyes flashed dangerously. "And you know what? I don't regret it. I regret having to go on the run, and not having a relationship with my mother. Not that we ever really did. But the actual murder? I don't regret it. I took away someone's life, and I don't feel any pain over it. What kind of person does that make me?"

Jack didn't really know what to do. The news that his girlfriend, mother of his child, had murdered her own father was a blow. However, he could tell that somewhere deep in her mind she had thought she was doing the right thing. His heart and mind were pulling him in different directions, and his feelings were going against everything he had ever been told was right.

"I think it makes you a person who was hurt and confused, and maybe still is, but it doesn't make you a bad person, Kate."

She looked shocked. "Really?" She hadn't expected him to take the news so lightly, and to even want to talk to her after hearing it.

"I'm not saying it was right. It wasn't, and there were other options, but I don't believe that you killed him just for the hell of it. That's not you, Kate. You were looking after you're mother, in the wrong way, but in the only way you thought you could."

Kate wiped away a tear. "I don't deserve you, Jack", she said, her voice cracking.

Jack shook his head. "I'm not exactly perfect, Kate. Don't ever think that you're not good enough".

She nodded, still unsure.

They were quiet for a while, Jack still absorbing all the new information, and not really sure if he was that angry about it.

"Is there anything else I should know?" he asked, seeing her fidget around in her seat.

"Yeah, uh.. there is", she said softly. He nodded, giving her a sign to go on.

"I robbed bank", she said quickly, wanting to get it out before she changed her mind. "Kind of. I didn't take any money".

"What did you take?"

She rolled over on the bed and reached into her nightstand drawer. "This", she replied, holding up the plane. "I needed to get it, but I couldn't just walk in there and ask. I was on the run, I'd be put away in a second if I told them my name. Nobody got hurt. Well, nobody that didn't deserve it".

Jack didn't question her last statement. "Okay", he said softly, still taking everything in.

Kate took his silence as something else. "You know what, Jack, this was a mistake. I'm sorry", she said suddenly, getting up and looking for her bag.

"Hey!", Jack exclaimed, jumping up as well. "What do you mean, a mistake?"

"It's okay, I get it," she said simply, not looking him in the eye. "You're Jack Shephard, top spinal surgeon in the state. You have everything you could ever want Jack, you don't need me holding you back."

Jack grabbed the bag out of her hands and held onto her shoulders. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Leaving", she stated.

"No, you're not", he replied. "Are you crazy?"

"Jack, we're kidding ourselves here. It can never work out between us, we both know that. I'm just helping us figure it out sooner rather than later." She broke away from his grasp and picked the bag up off the floor.

Jack was stunned. He hadn't expected this total change in her attitude. He may have been shocked by her confessions, but he didn't want her to leave.

"Why not?" he asked angrily. "Why can't it work out? Tell me, because if it's anything I'm doing, I'll change it. But as far as I can see the only problem here is the fact that you can't stop running! Why are you so afraid of being happy, Kate?"

Kate dropped the bag and the sweatshirt in her hands. She turned around to look at him, and sighed. "I don't know", she replied, shaking her head. "Maybe because it all just seems too good to be true. How can you forgive me after all that I've done to you? How do you know that one day you won't realize that you hate me for it all?"

"Because, I love you, Kate. I know it's crazy, and that you're right, I should hate you. But I can't, and I don't want to. Please, dont give me another reason to, because it just might push me over the edge",he admitted.

Kate finally stopped her attempts at packing, and sank down onto the bed. Burying her face in her hands, she whispered, "I'm sorry, Jack. I was being stupid, I don't want to leave. I'm so sorry."

He walked over and sat next to her. "Just make me a promise, okay? If you want to run, go now, because if you try to later, it just might kill me. Promise me, if you don't leave now, you won't run away the second things get hard."

She nodded. "I promise."

He smiled, wrapping an arm around her. "That's good, 'cause it's not just you and me anymore. We're a family now", he said, placing a hand on her stomach.

"A family", she echoed, looking down at his hand. She broke into a smile. "I think I like that idea".

"Me too", Jack agreed, closing his mouth over hers, then breaking away. "It turns out we might have to practice today, since Claire asked me to babysit Aaron. You up for that?" he asked, standing up.

"Yeah", she replied. "But first, I figure if we plan on having a family, there's something else we should practice". She flashed him a grin, and then pulled him back onto the bed.

He smiled back, falling onto the bed. Kate pressed her mouth onto his in a long kiss, laughing when he broke away to say, "I definatly think I like that idea".

_

* * *

Drop a review on your way out :)_


	16. Together We Will

Okay, not the longest chapter. You could even call it a filler chapter. But it's fluffy, for all you fluff lovers out there. So go ahead, read! (And review!)

* * *

"Jack! He's crying again!" Kate yelled up the stairs. 

"I'll be right down!" Jack shouted back. He was shuffling through Aaron's room, looking for a thermometer. "Do you know where Claire keeps the thermometer?"

"No!" Kate yelled over Aaron's shrieks. "Try his nightstand!"

They had been watching Aaron for two hours now.Everything had been going fine for the first hour, but after that, Aaron had become fussy. Jack and Kate could tell he had a temperature, but they needed to know how high it was before they called the doctor.

"Got it!" Jack yelled, picking the thermometer up out of the drawer.

"Thank God", Kate sighed when he came into the living room. Jack hastily walked over to Kate and the baby and took his temperature.

"Shit", Jack muttered,"100".

"Should I call the doctor?" Kate asked.

"Yeah", Jack replied, not wanting to take any chances. This was his nephew, he couldn't just take this lightly. Besides, he wasn't a pediatrician. There could be something the doctor knew that he didn't.

"What about Claire?" Kate asked.

Jack shook his head. "Let's not worry her. She really wants this promotion, and if a meeting with her boss might help her get it, I don't want to ruin her chance."

Kate went off to call the doctor, while Jack tried to calm down Aaron. "It's okay, bud. You'll be alright."

"No!" Aaron cried, not really knowing what he was saying due to his young age and current condition. He wriggled around in Jack's lap, trying to get free.

Kate walked back into the room. "He said to keep him cool and hydrated. If his condition worsens, or more symptoms occur, we should get him checked out".

Jack laughed lightly at Kate's clinical tone. "That's what I figured. He should be fine."

"Are you sure?" Kate asked nervously. "Should we just take him in anyway, to be positive?"

"Kate, it's just a fever. It's not even that high. If it gets worse, we'll do something", Jack replied.

Kate nodded. "Okay".

A half an hour later, Aaron was sleeping, his fever down to 99. "See, we didn't do so bad", Jack grinned.

"Yeah, I guess so", Kate said quietly.

"What's the matter?" Jack asked, picking up on her mood.

"It's just, you knew exactly what to do with him, and I had no idea. I would have freaked out if it had been just me. How can I be a good mother if I don't even know how to treat a fever?" Kate asked worriedly.

"Hey, you weren't the only one who was scared", Jack replied. "Sick kids are scary, especially for people like us, who have never needed to deal with it before. I only knew what to do because of my job, not because I'm a better parent. What do you think I'm going to do when the baby's crying at two in the morning and we don't know why?"

Kate shrugged. "I don't know".

"Neither do I", Jack replied, making her laugh. "But we'll figure it out together, okay?"

"Yeah," Kate nodded. "The diaper changing thing, though? You're on your own", she teased.

"No way, that's all on you", he joked back.

"Sorry, honey, that's going to be your job" Kate replied.

Jack laughed. "Honey? Since when do you use pet names?"

Kate smiled innocently. "I figured I should butter you up if I'm going to get you to change the diapers."

Jack chuckled, leaning in to kiss her. "Yeah? Well, keep working on that."

* * *

The next day, Jack woke up to Kate's voice on the phone. 

"What do you mean, school?" she asked. There was a pause. "Oh, of course. I wasn't thinking. Thank you."

"What was that all about?" Jack asked. Kate jumped.

"I didn't know you were awake", she replied.

"Yeah, I just woke up. What's up".

Kate sighed. "Nothing. I just didn't realize that I would need a degree to be a social worker. I know, stupid, right?"

"I thought you said you had found a job?" Jack asked, confused.

"Well, what I meant was that I knew what I wanted to do. I just didn't realize I needed a degree." Kate dropped her head. "Now I need to find something else."

"What do you mean, find something else?" Jack asked, "Why don't you just go to school?"

Kate's head dropped, if possible, lower. "I need a job now, Jack. I don't have time to go to school. I'm going to have a baby to support, and besides, I don't have the money to go to school."

"We", Jack said softly.

"What?" asked Kate confusedly.

"_We_ have a baby to support. You're not alone in this, Kate. If you want to go to school, I can help you. Before you interupt, remember that you're having my baby. You're going to go through hours of painful labor while I sit there and pretend to understand what you're going though. I don't know about you, but I think I owe you one", he said with a slight grin.

"Jack, are you serious?" Kate asked, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Of course I am. You want this, and you're going to have it".

Kate eagerly threw her arms around him. "Thank you! Thank you so much! I love you."

Jack fell back on the back from the amount of force she was applying to him, and they both laughed.

"It's no big deal, Kate. This is how it's going to be from now on. I help you, you help me", he said earnestly.

A small smile crept across Kate's face. "So.. since I'm going to go through hours of intense labor, the least you could do is change the diapers, right?"

Jack laughed. "Nice try."


	17. Moving Towards The Future

Jack walked downstairs, leaving Kate to make some calls and sort things out. He was glad she was going to school, and that she would be doing something she could be proud of. He stepped into the kitchen and was met by Claire, who was smiling at him excitedly. 

"My boss just called. I got the promotion!" she exclaimed.

"That's great, Claire", Jack replied.

"Yeah, I never thought I'd get it. Assistant.." she trailed off and he laughed.

"Well, I'm happy for you, and I'm sure Kate will be too when she finds out. She's got some news of her own", Jack told her.

"Really?" Claire asked, wondering what was new with her friend.

"Yeah, but I'll let her tell you when she comes down".

"Actually, I have something else to say-" Claire began, but she was broken off by hearing Kate thundering down the stairs.

"I'm going to school!" she shrieked, "I'm going to get a degree!"

"Oh my god!" Claire exclaimed. "That's amazing!"

Jack laughed quietly and shook his head while he listened to the women tell each other about their achievements. It was hard to tell who was more excited for the other. When they finally calmed down, Jack interupted.

"Claire, what were you going to tell me before?"

"Oh, right. Well, I've been thinking, since you two are starting a family and all, you'll need all of the room you can get. I figure me and Aaron have stayed long enough, and it's about time we moved out."

"Claire, you're welcome to stay here for as long as you want", Jack argued.

"I know, but you two need to spend time together without us getting in the way. Don't try and tell me otherwise", she said quickly seeing Kate open her mouth, "I've already found a great apartment, and it's really close by."

"Are you sure?" asked Kate. "You're not getting in the way at all. Besides, are you really going to leave me here all alone with.. him?", she said teasingly, casting a glance in Jack's direction.

"Very funny", Jack told her, "But she's right, Claire, you're not getting in the way."

"You two can stop trying to talk me out of it. It's not like I'm going back to Australia, I'm not even leaving the city", she laughed.

Kate smiled at the blonde. "You better not leave the city. I need you within a fifteen mile radius, okay? You need to give me tips on this pregnancy stuff."

"Of course," replied Claire. "Although, having a baby in L.A. will probably be different than having one of the island", she joked.

"Yeah, and don't worry, I don't expect you to deliver mine", Kate replied, making both Jack and Claire laugh.

"Thank god", sighed Claire. "I was worrying about that".

* * *

Two weeks later Claire had moved out of the condo, and all that was left were a few baby toys Aaron had outgrown.

"You'll need them more than I will", Claire had told them.

Jack and Kate were still adjusting to being alone in the house together, finding it was more different than they had thought it would be.

"It feels so empty", Kate had said one night while they were watching t.v.

"I know," Jack had agreed, "No more Aaron screams and Austrailian accents."

"There's an upside to this, though" Kate had said, a mischevious grin forming on her face.

"What's that?" Jack asked.

"We can do this,", she crawled into his lap, pressing her mouth onto his, then breaking away, "without worrying about anyone walking in on us". With that, she leaned in to kiss him again, running her tongue along his lower lip. When they finally broke for air, they were both panting.

"Yeah, I'd say that's a good thing", Jack laughed, before leaning in once again.

The next day Kate awoke the the feel of Jack's lips on hers. She broke into a smile. "Hey".

"Hey yourself," Jack replied, "It's eleven o'clock."

"What? How did we sleep so late?" Kate asked in suprise.

"We? I've been up for a few hours", Jack laughed.

"Oh. Well I have you to blame for keeping me up all night", Kate pretended to complain, "I had fun though".

"I noticed", Jack smirked, earning a playful smack on the arm.

"So why'd you let me sleep so late?" she asked.

"I figured you'd need the rest. Your first class is at four."

"Oh my god!" she exclaimed. "I forgot!" She jumped out of bed, and ran into the bathroom. "I need to take a shower!"

He laughed at her eagerness, and decided not to remind her she had five hours until she needed to be at class.

When she exited the bathroom, she ran into the kitchen still in her towel, yelled "coffee!" to Jack, and then ran back upstairs. Jack laughed, starting the coffee and wondering what she would do when she realized she had would have four hours to wait.

Kate came back down the stairs quickly, slipping in the puddle she had left earlier and almost falling.

"Careful!" exclaimed Jack. "You can slow down, you know. You're going to have a while to wait.

"I know", she replied, walking over to the coffee machine. "I'm just so excited. I'm actually going to be doing something with my life", she laughed.

"I'm excited for you too", Jack replied, kissing her on the cheek, "but I have to run to the hospital for a few hours. There was an accident and they need me in there".

Her mood changed visibly. "You're not going to be here when I leave?" she asked. "What if I get scared? What if I change my mind?" She voiced her secret concerns, the ones she had been hiding with her over eagerness.

"Hey, don't worry. It's only quarter of twelve. I promise, I'll be back by three. They can find someone to cover for me if they have to. I wouldn't miss this." He hadn't realized how nervous she was, but he hadn't planned on being away.

Her face brightened. "Good," she said, the smile from earlier returning. "Then I guess I'll see you when you get back. I don't know what I'm going to do until then though.." she said, finally having it sink in that she had a long wait, which would seem even longer due to her nerves.

He grinned at her. "You'll think of something. You could call Claire."

"Yeah.." she trailed off. "Maybe I should visit Sawyer. It's been a while" she said, referring to the fact that it had been a week since her last visit.

"Good idea. If you're ready now, you can come with me to the hospital."

When they reached the hospital they seperated, him going to the emergency room and her following the familiar path to go see Sawyer.

"How's he doing?" she asked the nurse who happened to be in his room.

"The same," the nurse replied, and Kate sighed. That seemed to be the answer she always got.

The nurse left and Kate took a seat in the plastic chair.

"I'm going to school," she told him, "I'm going to have a real job and everything."

He was silent, like always. She put a hand on her stomach, and frowned. She hadn't told him yet. Even though she was almost positive he couldn't hear her, it was still too hard. She couldn't imagine telling him for real.

She talked to him for a while longer, until Jack walked into the room, looking tired.

"How'd it go?" she asked.

"The woman's still in surgery. I guess I'll find out later. Come on, let's get home."

When they returned home Kate collected her things, waiting for the clock to hit three thirty and for them to finally leave. When it did, she called Jack into the room and they were out the door.

"Good luck", he told her, dropping her off in front of the building.

"Thanks" she replied nervously.

He put a hand on her shoulder. "You'll do fine. I love you."

"Thanks", she said quietly, giving him a quick kiss. "I love you too".

With that she stepped away from the car and toward the building that in some ways would determine her future. The thought made her more nervous, but she was determined. She took her first step in the door, and gasped at what, or rather who, she saw.

* * *

_Who is it? You won't find out 'till I get enough reviews!_


	18. Return of the Past

"Oh my god," Kate muttered under her breath. She ducked her head low, and tried to sneak around the man standing in the hallway. Unfortunatly, she couldn't avoid his glance, and his mouth dropped.

"Monica? I mean- Kate?" Kate turned around and found herself staring into the face of her ex-husband. If you could call it that. They have never been legally married.

"Kevin. Hi," Kate replied, staring intently at the ground.

"What are you doing here?" he asked bluntly. "I thought.. you said.. shouldn't you be running or something?" he asked coldly.

She hadn't expected him to be happy to see her. At their last encounter, she had drugged him and then ran out of his life forever. Or so she had thought. "Not anymore," she said simply.

"Care to elaborate?" he prodded.

"Kevin, I have a class to go to," she reminded him, trying to escape.

"I'm doing a security shift here this month. I know for a fact you have fifteen minutes before you have to be in that room. I think you owe me an explanation, since last time I was too heavily drugged to get one!" For the first time she looked into his eyes, and was suprised she didn't see any anger. All she saw was hurt.

"I had to leave you.I thought I was going to jail if they found me. I couldn't stay."

"Thought?" Kevin asked.

"I was in a plane crash. You must have heard of it. Oceanic 815. I was with the marshall. Turns out they couldn't prove I comitted the murder, so I'm just on probation."

Kevin stared at her, trying to take it all in. "Oh," he fianlly said.

"That's all you have to say?"

"What else am I supposed to say? I found out I was married to a completely different person than I thought I was, and then she runs away from me after.. after poisoning me!" Kevin exclaimed.

"Hey," Kate retorted, "It wasn't poison! I just had to be sure you wouldn't come after me."

"Well, I'm not going to say I didn't try. I spent months reviewing your case, trying to figure out where you might have gone. If I had figured it out I probably would have gone to find you."

"I'm sorry, Kevin. I really am, but I couldn't pretend anymore. Monica, she wasn't me."

"Do you think you could have told me that earlier? Maybe, oh I don't know, before I married you?" he spat out bitterly.

"I guess sometimes sorry just isn't enough," Kate replied softly, echoing Jack's words that first day at the hospital, before he forgave her.

"You're not the only one I hurt, Kevin, and for that I'm sorry. Not just for you, but for everyone. Even the ones who don't know yet," she continued, thinking of Sawyer.

"I'm not done," Kevin told her. "Once I found out everything about you, I knew that you couldn't help leaving me. I knew you were doing it partly to not hurt me. Do you know how much that pissed me off? I wanted to be furious with you, but I couldn't. I was mad, but I understood."

Kate gazed at him sadly. "You didn't deserve what I did to you," she said quietly. "Just like Jack didn't deserve it," she added to herself, even more quiety.

Apparently it wasn't as quietly as she thought. "Who's Jack?" Kevin asked.

"Oh um..", she muttered, startled that he had heard her. "He's my uh.."

"Boyfriend," Kevin interuppted with a smirk. "It's okay, you're not the only one who's moved on." He pulled out a picture of a pretty blonde woman. "My fiance", he said with a grin.

"That's great," Kate said earnestly.

"Yeah, I checked her out and everything. She's really a lawyer, just like she says she is", Kevin replied, attempting to lighten the mood with a joke.

Kate laghed lightly. "I hope you two will be happy together."

"Yeah, same to you and.. what's his name? Jack?"

"Yeah," Kate replied, a smile creeping onto her face.

"You better go," he told her, and she gave him a confused look. "You're class starts in, like, five minutes."

"I forgot!" Kate exclaimed, the nervousness coming back. "It was umm.."

"Yeah", Kevin chuckled. "It was good seeing you too."

-

"I expect only the best from you, and I hope that you will all get your degrees and go on to do great things. Knowing that I helped you on your way only adds to my happiness. I feel that my greatest achievement as a professor is sending more people off into the field off Social Work. I also believe.."

Kate had forgotten how much she hated first days. First days at work, school, anything. All those introductions and talking about things she didn't care about. She wanted to get on with the class. If they didn't waste so much time talking about what the professor expected, they would be 'on their way' sooner.

Kate resisted the urge to raise her hand and tell him this.

-

"How was your first day?" Jack asked when she walked into the car.

Kate laughed. "Boring. You know how first days are."

Jack nodded. "Bore the hell out of you. It will get better, don't worry."

Kate wondered if she should tell Jack about Kevin. He had the right to know she had been married. She knew all about Sarah. However, she didn't want to tell him she had ran away from Kevin. It could give him the wrong idea about what she would do to him, what she was capable of.

"I ran into an old friend," she said casually.

"That's nice. She in your class?" Jack asked.

"No, he's a security guard. Well, he's a cop, but I guess they were short on guards or something," she laughed.

"He?" Jack asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Yeah. You jealous, Jack?" she teased.

"No," he replied with a slight laugh. "I'm not, right?" he asked.

Kate smiled. "Definitely not."

-

A week later, Kate's classes had gotten much more interesting. She was constantly pouring over her book, and Jack was lucky to get a word in edgewise. He understood though, remembering how interested he had been in medical school.

Kate managed to drag herself away from her books long enough to go visit Sawyer one day. She wondered when her visits had become so sporadic. She was lucky if she went in once a week now. She felt slightly guilty about it, which added to her guilt for not telling Jack about Kevin. She saw him nearly every time she went to class, although it was just a polite 'hello'. She wanted to tell Jack, but figured it was too late. If he found out now, he'd be angry at her for waiting so long to tell him.

As she entered Sawyer's room, she let out a small gasp. Sitting by his bed was Claire, with Aaron balanced in her lap. She was gazing at his face curiously, as if not sure what to make of it. Not wanting to disturb her, Kate quietly left the room, wondering when Claire had started visiting.

* * *

_Not exactly my favorite chapter, except for maybe the beginning and the end :). Drop a review on your way out!_


	19. Doubles And Some Troubles

_Sorry for the wait. I haven't had much time to update lately. I got some new reviewers last chapter, so that was nice. Hopefully you all keep reading!_

* * *

One week later, Kate and Jack were sitting in the hospital waiting room. Jack was staring at his hands, and Kate was chewing on her nails. To an outsider, they may have looked nervous. That outsider would be right. They were about to go in for their first ultrasould since the discovery that Jack was the father. Kate was seven weeks along, and there was a good chance they would hear their baby's heartbeat.

"Austen, Katherine?" A nurse stood in the doorway, a large smile on her face.

Jack looked over at Kate. She didn't seems to have heard. "Come on, that's you," he told her.

"Oh!" Kate jumped out of the chair and took his hand. Together, the walked inside.

"This will be a little cold," Dr. Delauney was saying a few minutes later, in a strong french accent. Kate cringed as the jelly hit her sotmach. She shivered visibly and Jack laughed.

"Hey, I'd like to see you with this stuff on," she grumbled, much to his amusement. He laughed lightly, then waitied impatiently for the doctor to say something.

"Oh?" Dr Delauney mumbled, more to herself than to Jack and Kate. "Jumeaux?"

Kate and Jack gave each other a confused look. "I'm sorry, but do you mind telling us what you're talking about?" Jack asked, a slight edge to his voice.

Kate meanwhile, was searching her brain, trying to remember high school french classes. Suddenly she gasped. "You don't mean..?"

"Am I the only one who has no idea what's going on?" Jack asked, suddenly wishing he hadn't taken Spanish as a student.

"Two heartbeats!" the doctor spoke up. "If I'm correct, I believe you're having twins."

It was the loudest silence either of them had ever heard. Who would speak first?

"Wow." Apparently, Kate would.

"Yeah," Jack agreed.

"Two? Two babies?" Kate kept repeating, finally smiling. "Jack, we're having twins!" she exclaimed.

He nodded vigouresly, his own smile starting to form. "How the hell are we going to keep up with two kids?" he asked, laughing at the thought.

"I don't know, but at least I feel better about the fact that I'm already gaining weight," Kate replied, staring at her stomach.

"Yes, yes," the doctor said, reminding them she was still there. "You will probably gain more weight than in a single pregnancy. That's normal. I'll print you up some papers on what to expect." With that, she left the room

"She was a little, um.." Jack trailed off.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Kate agreed with a laugh.

"Twins," Jack spoke lightly, as if still not believing the news.

"Can you believe it?" Kate asked.

Jack shook his head softly. "Nope", he laughed.

"Me neither."

"I'm back!" Dr. Delauney came rushing back in, handing them a stack of papers. "I'll see you again, I'm sure. You can make an appointment with the receptionist. Au revoir!"

-

A week later, Jack and Kate were listening to the messages they had recieved while they were at work. Jack had seemed distant recently, but when Kate had asked him about it, he had just attributed it to work.

"Hey, man, it's Hurley! Dude, we haven't talked in like, forever. Anyway, I've been putting together a reunion. You know, for us island people. I really hope you can come, almost everyone can make it. And umm.. I talked to Claire before I called you, so dude, I know about Kate. Nice job! I always knew she wanted you, man, Desmond's gonna be pissed! Wait, I've said too much. Oh, and if you're listening Kate, there were no bets, none. Whatever Claire tells you is a lie. Yeah, so call me later."

"He always leaves the longest messages," Jack said, a small laugh coming out.

"Shh!" Kate whispered, "It sounds like he forgot to hang up the phone."

"Hey, Desmond! Dude! You're never gonna belive this!" They heard Hurley's muffled voice coming through the answering machine. "You owe me 20 bucks!"

"What?" came Desmond's voice. "You're kidding me, right?"

"I told you she'd eventually pick, Jack! I was right, you were wrong. Now hand it over!"

Kate threw Jack an incredulous look. "They really made bets!"

"No way, I need proof! You don't get your money 'till I see them together!"

"Oh, you will! Just wait until the reunion! Speaking of which, I better finish the calls." There was a long pause. "Oh, no".

"What's the matter, brotha?"

"I never hung up the phone! Do you think they heard us?" Hurley exclaimed.

"Nah, we weren't being that loud. But uhh, it would probably be best to hang it up now, just in case."

There was a click, and Kate and Jack turned to face each other, and then both burst out laughing, Jack's odd behavior forgotten.

"So, we made Hurley twenty dollars?" Jack said through his laughter.

"I guess so. I wonder why Claire told him. She said she wouldn't tell anyone-"

She was interupted by the next message coming on.

"I am so sorry, guys! Hurley made me tell him, I didnt mean to! I mentioned Kate's name and it just all went downhill from there. He seemed pretty happy though, mentioned something about twenty dollars. Umm.. well, he doesn't know you're pregnant or anything, if that helps? Okay, bye."

"I guess that answers my questions," said Kate, but Jack was string at her curiously.

"Why don't you want anyone to know?" he asked coldly.

"No, it's not like that." She told him, his cold tone confusing her.

"Not like what? Are you just going to break up with me when Sawyer wakes up? You didn't want Sawyer finding out? What is it, Kate?" Jack was angry, and Kate couldn't seem to understand why.

"What are you talking about, or course not!" Kate exclaimed, but Jack wasn't done.

"Jesus, Kate! Are the babies even mine, or are you lying about that too?" he asked loudly, practically shouting.

Kate stepped back as though slapped. "I can't believe you just asked me that," her voice was in sharp contrast to Jack's, barely above a whisper.

"What am I supposed to think, Kate? You wouldn't let me go in the room with you when you found out! How do I know you're not lying to me?" Jack didn't lower his voice, his anger still rising at seeing the angry look on Kate's face.

"Because I haven't lied to you about anything! I told you everything!" she immediatly regretted her words, seeing the anger flash through Jack's eyes.

"Oh, really? That's not what your friend, the security guard, seemed to tell me. He must have been a pretty good friend, Kate. Or why else would you marry him?"

The room went silent. Kate closed her eyes tightly. "You talked to Kevin?" she managed to say quietly.

"Yeah, I did. He told me he was glad you had found someone. When I asked how you guys met, I got the entire story! Why would you lie about that?" He asked, his voice returning to normal, and Kate could see that he was more hurt than angry.

She wasn't going to let him win. She knew she shouldn't say it, but she did anyway. "Why do you need to know every detail of my life? I didn't know I had to report back to you! It's not like I know everything about you."

"Yeah, Kate you do. Everything that matters. I'd say having an ex-husband is something that matters!" He exhaled deeply. "I'm going out. When you decide you can stop lying, call me."

With that, he stepped out the door, leaving Kate still standing in the same spot. She wished she had just told him about Kevin in the first place. How had she let it get so out of control?

* * *

_We all knew that wouldn't stay secret for long. I love writing angry Jack. It's so much fun lol._


	20. Realization

Kate paced the kitchen floor, going over the fight in her head. She wanted to call him, but just as she picked up the phone, she remembered what he had said.

_"Are the babies even mine, or are you lying about that too?"_

Thinking of the words sent shivers down her spine. How could he even ask her that? She wouldn't lie about something like that, how could be think she would? _'Because you lied about Kevin'_ a small voice in the back of her head told her.

Kate sighed. Maybe they both had some apoligizing to do. Looking at the clock, she realized it had been three hours since he left, and it was after midnight. She knew she shouldn't worry, that he was too angry to come home, but somehow she couldn't stop feeling as if something was wrong. As if on cue, the telephone rang.

Sneaking a glance at the caller I.D., Kate's stomach dropped. She saw one word hospital. She hurriedly picked up the phone.

"Hello?" Kate said quickly.

"Hello, is this Miss Austen?" came an official tone.

"Yea-" her voice cracked. She cleared her throat nervously, then continued. "Yes. What's wrong?"

"Dr. Shephard was just brought in. He has sustained a gun shot injury to his left arm, and.." Kate couldn't hear the rest. Her head was throbbing, and she felt like her legs would give out any second.

"Hello? Miss Austen?" came the voice, and Kate shook her head. She needed to be alert, and get to the hospital quickly.

"I'll be right there".

The ride to the hospital felt like the longest one of her life. It was as if she hit every red light, and got stuck behind the slowest drivers in the city. The truth was, she actually made good time, giving the speed limit no thought.

Swerving into the hosptial parking lot, she parked her car and got out almost before the car had stopped. She had to see him, had to make sure he was okay.

"Jack Shepard?" she asked at the front desk.

"Are you family?" the man behind the desk asked.

"No, but-"

"Then I'm afraid I can't let you in. Dr. Shephard is in critical condition, and I can't allow you to see him right now." The man's monotone voice only aggrivated Kate more.

"They called me in! Please, I need to see him!" Kate exclaimed, unable to believe that this man was slowing her down.

"I can't do that. It's against hospital policy to-" he was interuppted by a nurse Kate recognized as someone who talked to Jack often.

"Harry, let her in," the nurse demanded. "She's having his kid for God's sake!"

The man shook his head dissaprovingly, but gave in. "Whatever you say, Kathy."

"Hi, Kate. Do you remember me?" the friendly woman asked.

Kate nodded her head nervously. "You're friends with Jack, right?"

Kathy nodded. "I've known him for years."

"Please, then you have to understand. I need to see him," she begged, something Kate wasn't used to doing.

"Of course, honey", the older woman replied, leading Kate up a flight of stairs. "Come with me."

Kathy had to struggle to keep up with Kate, who was practically running.

"Do you know what happened to him?" Kate asked.

Kathy shook her head sadly. "No, I'm afraid I don't. He was just brought in."

Kate felt a tear slide down her eye, and she brushed it away with a shaking hand.

"A gun shot to the arm. That's not too serious, is it?" Kate asked, voicing her last hope. She hadn't heard the rest of what the woman on the phone said, so she didn't know if that was the only injury.

"It depends, sweetie," replied Kathy. Seeing the younger woman's face fall, she tried to encourage her. "I'm sure he's fine."

Kate remained quiet. Finally, two minutes later, they reached the room where Jack was being treated. Kate rushed in, bumping into a doctor who was on his way out. There was another doctor inside the room, as well as two nurses.

She hurried over to Jack's bed, ignoring the words of protest she heard coming from the doctor and nurses. She heard Kathy explaining something to them, and they became quiet.

Jack was lying in the center of the bed, looking ghostly pale. She leaned over to hold his hand, which was colder than she would have liked. His upper left arm was bandaged, and his wrist had a cast on it. She looked over and saw that blood was being pumped into his other arm, and she felt herself starting to shake.

"What happened?" she managed to ask.

The doctor walked over to her side. "Dr. Shephard was found lying in an alley by a pedestrian about a half an hour ago. He had a gun shot wound in his left arm, and his wrist was broken.There's also a large bump on the back of his head, which suggests he may have been hit. He must have been lying there a while, since he lost quite a bit of blood."

Kate stared at him with wide eyes. "Is he going to be okay?" she said, her voice coming out higher than usual.

"I don't know for sure. We got him fixed up pretty quickly. Everyone around here cares about Dr. Shephard, so they're all trying their hardest. Like I said, he lost a lot of blood, so hopefully his body doesn't reject the blood that we're giving him. We don't think there will be any ill effects of the head injury, and his wrist will heal. All that we're worried about it the gun shot wound. We don't know how long the bullet was in there, and we are hoping that it doesn't get infected. If all goes well,however, he should make a full recovery."

Kate let out a huge sigh of relief, falling into one of the hospital chairs placed beside the bed. Her head dropped into her hands, and she finally let her emotions get the better of her, shaking with sobs. She couldn't remember ever feeling so scared, not when Tom died, or when Sawyer got hit by the car. She realized what she had never been sure of before. She had realized it the second she was told to come to the hospital. She couldn't lose Jack. There was no doubt in her mind that she was done running.

"The anesthesia we gave him should wear off soon, if you feel like waiting," the doctor said gently.

Kate nodded. "Yeah, I'll just stay right here."

For the next twenty minutes, a million thoughts ran through Kate's mind. Jack had to be okay, didn't he? Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him stir.

"Jack!" she gasped, but before she could talk to him, the doctors were swarming the bed. She waited impatiently until they were finally out of her way.

She walked over to the bed, her whole body trembling. "Jack?" she whispered.

"Kate?" came his voice, cracking as he formed the words.

"Yeah, it's me," she smiled weakly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice so soft she could barely hear it.

"No. It's not your fault," she told him, holding his hand tightly.

He didn't seem to hear her. "I didn't mean it. I was just.. no, there's no excuse. You wouldn't lie about something like that."

Kate finally realized he was talking about their argument earlier, and she felt the tears well up in her eyes again.

"Jack, listen to me," she said softly. "I am so, so sorry. I should have told you about Kevin. I deserved it, I-"

"No," he cut her off. "You didn't."

"Neither did you," she replied, not sure if she was talking about what she said, or what had happened after. He didn't deserve any of it. "Jack, what happened to you?"

He sighed. "It's a long story."

She squeezed his hand. "I've got nothing but time."

* * *

Note: I am **not** a doctor. I may have gotten some facts wrong, but it's not like this is a medical journal or anything. :) 

Coming up: How did Jack get hurt? Also, they talk about their fight.


	21. Trust Issues

So, here it is. How Jack got hurt. Man, I am getting tired of writing hospital scenes. :)

* * *

"Kate, I don't really want to talk about it. Can it wait?" Jack asked, avoiding her glance. He tried to look away, but didn't miss her glare. 

"So, that's how it's gonna be?" she snapped, "You tell me to open up and tell you everything, but you can't do that same for me?"

Jack shook his head. "It's not like that."

"Then what is it like? Because I'm a little-" Kate was cut off by him whispering. She strained to hear him.

"I turned into him," he said softly, and she could hear the regret in his voice.

"Who, Jack? Turned into who?" She asked.

"My father," he said shortly.

"Your father? What do you mean?" Kate was confused, but she could tell by Jack's wounded look that he was upset.

"When something happened that he didn't like, he drank. He drank alot. I always told myself that I wouldn't be like that. It didn't matter that it was in my blood, because I was going to be stronger than him." He laughed humorlessly.

"So you had a drink, Jack. You're human," Kate told him.

"I got drunk, Kate. I was pissed at you, pissed at myself for what I said to you. I needed to escape." He cast his head downwards. "I'm sorry."

"So what happened?" she asked, urging him to go on.

"Two guys got in a fight at the bar, and I tried to leave. It was getting really out of hand. Then one of them pulled out a gun. Lucky for the guy he was shooting at, he was too drunk to aim right. It wasn't so lucky for me." He gestured to the wound in his arm.

Kate was still angry at him, so she tried to stop the tears that were threatening to escape. She bit down on her lip and nodded for him to go on.

"I wanted to get the hell out of there, so I walked outside. I took out my cell phone to call the hospital, but I got hit from behind. It wasn't even the same guy," he chuckled. "Just my luck that there happened to be someone there, waiting to mug the next person who walked out the door. When he hit me, it knocked me out cold. I must have fallen and broken my wrist from the look of it." He held up his arm and examined his wrist.

"That's not your fault," said Kate, trying to understand why he was beating himself up so bad over it.

"Yes, it is. If I hadn't been such a coward, afraid to face my problems, I never would have left you like that. I should have stayed with you and tried to work it out."

"Well, you were being kind of horrible", she gave him a quick, small smile.

He raised his eyes to meet hers. "I wasn't the only one", he said, as gently as he could.

"I know," she replied.

"Why didn't you just tell me? I'm divorced too", he reminded her.

"I know, but you didn't leave the way I did. You didn't _lie_ like I did. You didn't even come _close_ to what I did," she stressed.

"Kate, it couldn't have been that bad. Kevin didn't seem like he hated you. In fact, he said I was lucky to have you," Jack told her, confused by her reaction.

"He's a good person, Jack. I don't deserve to be forgiven. I wasn't even brave enough to say goodbye like a normal person. I ran away, and drugged him so he couldn't chase me."

"So you were scared. Everyone makes mistakes like that, Kate. Why didn't you just tell me?"

"I didn't want you to think I would do the same thing to you. I want you to trust me so badly, but I don't think I deserve it. Besides, it doesn't seem like you trust me at all after what you said about the babies," she admitted. "I just want you to trust me." She felt a tear slip down her cheek and swore under her breath. She wanted to stay strong, and to stay angry at him, but she couldn't. Something about seeing the person you love in a hospital bed makes it hard to stay strong.

Jack grabbed her hand and pulled her down to sit next to him. "What I said was way out of line, Kate. I would take it back in a second if I could."

"But you can't", she replied.

"You're right. I can't, but you need to know that I didn't mean it. I never doubted you for a second about the babies. I think I just wanted to hurt you the way you hurt me," he told her ashamedly.

"It worked," she told him.

"I wish it didn't. I'm sorry," he said, his eyes pleading with her to forgive him.

She leaned down and kissed him gently. "I'll fogive you if you forgive me," she smiled.

"Deal," he agreed, wiping away the tears that were still on her cheeks.

"You should go home and get some rest," he laughed, seeing her try to stop a yawn, but failing. "It's two in the morning. Besides, I think we're pushing our luck with the doctors. If they didn't know me you'd be out of here."

She started to protest, but he cut her off. "Come on, it's not good for you or the babies. Actually, I'm tired too," he told her, knowing that might change her mind.

"Fine, I'll go. I'm only doing it for you and the babies though," she replied stubbornly. "I could stay here all.. all-" she was cut off by a large yawn, which caused Jack to laugh loudly.

"Sure you could," he agreed with a smile. "I'll see you tomorrow."

When Kate got home she fell asleep almost instantly, but didn't sleep through the night. Now that she was used to it, not having Jack sleeping beside her was strange. The bed felt cold and empty, and by seven o'clock she gave up. She couldn't fall back asleep now anyway, so she drove to the hospital.

When she arrived there Jack was still asleep. Not wanting to wake him, she left his room quietly and walked to where Sawyer was laying, still motionless. It suddenly occured to her how often she was in this hospital. It was way too often, she told herself.

Sitting by his bedside, Kate marveled over the strangeness of the situation. Sawyer was only a floor up from Jack. Both of them were laying in hospital beds. Maybe she really did hurt everyone she loved.

She got up from the chair quickly at the thought. Why was it that she hurt everyone? Shouldn't she just leave, and never care about anyone again? Wouldn't that be easier?

Touching her slightly swollen belly, she knew the answer to that. Nothing would be harder than leaving everything she cared about. She was in too deep, and for once, she didn't mind.

* * *

Coming Up: Jack and Kate go to Hurley's party. How will everyone react to seeing them together? Also, Claire has an excuse for hanging around Sawyer's room, but is it the truth? 


	22. One of Those People

Sorry for the obnoxiously long wait. The holidays have had me tied up, so I'm lucky I got this out. Updates should be back to normal soon!

* * *

Kate almost had to laugh at what she saw in the kitchen. Reaching as high as he could with his healthy arm, Jack was trying to take a large bowl down from the cabinet. The bowl was heavy, and easily required two hands. He tried to balance himself and reach up with both arms, but winced in pain. That was when Kate decided to step in.

"You know, I have two arms that work", she joked, grabbing the bowl and placing it on the counter.

It wasn't the first time she had stumbled across a scene like this one. Ever since coming home a week ago, Jack had been hesitant to accept help from anybody. Far from being hurt, Kate was amused by his pride and macho behavior.

"I almost had it," he grumbled.

Kate laughed. "Jack, you can let me help you once in a while. It's not for that long, and then you can be back to being Mr. Self-Sufficent."

"Hey, don't pretend you wouldn't refuse help. Remember right before we got rescued, when you twisted your ankle? You didn't tell anybody. Sun had to practically force it out of you." He reminded her.

"Yeah, well, I didn't think you'd be too eager to help me", she said regretfully.

"I guess I'll have to make up for it,then. If I let you help me now, you have to let me take care of you in a few months. You won't be too eager to bend over and pickt hings up."

She grinned. "Deal."

* * *

She had to go in. Curiosity was beginning to get the better of her, and Kate needed to know why Claire was always at the hospital. It had been two weeks since Jack's accident, and by now Kate had seen her in Sawyer's room three times.

Standing in the doorway, she saw Claire talking softly to Aaron, who was sitting on her lap. Deciding it was time, she walked inside.

"Kate, hi!" Claire jumped when she walked into the room.

"Hey, Claire. Hi, Aaron". The little boy waved to Kate.

"How's Jack?" Claire asked.

Kate laughed. "You saw him yesterday. He's fine. So what are you doing here?" she asked curiously.

"Oh, you remember on the island, when Sawyer's voice made Aaron stop crying?" Kate nodded. "Well, the other day, he wouldn't stop. I know he's older now and all, but I thought maybe it would work."

"Claire, Sawyer can't talk", Kate pointed out.

Claire giggled. "I know that. But something about being near him, it calms Aaron down. It worked, so I brought him back when it happened again."

"Oh, okay."Kate replied. "Well, I have to go. I have class in an hour. I'll see you later." With that, Kate stepped out of the room and left the hospital. It wasn't until she had reached her car that it occured to her that Claire's story didn't add up. She told Kate the first time she visited had been a few days ago, but Kate had seen her in the room a month ago.

* * *

"Dude! I can't believe you're here!" Jack found himself consumed in a huge bear hug. "Kate!" Hurley was soon moving on.

"Hey, Hurley" Kate choked out, now in a hug of her own.

"Nice place", Jack remarked, marvelling at the size of Hurley's house.

"Yeah, well, I got lucky I guess," Hurley chuckled to himself. "Well, what are you waiting for? Come inside!"

Jack and Kate entered the large mansion, and were soon surrounded by their fellow survivors. They couldn't help but notice the raised eyebrows at the sight of them together, but they ignored them. Kate nervously folded her arms across her three and a half month pregnant belly, hoping no one would notice. She didn't feel like being congratualated by people who didn't care about her, and were only interested in gossiping about her and Jack.

"Kate, Jack. It is good to see you." Sayid was soon shaking Jack's hand, and giving Kate a brief hug.

"It's good to see you too, Sayid", Kate said, shifting her gaze to the woman beside him.

"This is Nadia", he told them, seeing her glance to his side. "My fiancee".

"Congratulations", said both Jack and Kate earnestly.

"What happened to your arm?" Sayid asked Jack. The two launched into the story, then made other small talk, before going off to get a drink.

The two of them sat at the bar, surveying the crowd. They saw Claire talking to someone they didn't know very well, but they were soon joined by someone they did.

"Hi, Jack, Kate". Juliet set herself down on a stool next to them. "Seriously, a bar? This place just keeps getting more amazing."

"Yeah, Hurley's really outdone himself." Jack replied, seeing Kate shift nervously out of the corner of his eye. She had never been comfortable around Juliet.

"Yeah, I'm going to grab a drink. I'll need it, seeing as most people here still hate me. You want anything?" Juliet asked.

"I'll have a beer," Jack replied.

"Kate?"

"I'm fine, thanks", Kate replied, her hand shifting to her stomach again.

Juliet gave her a small smirk. "Okay."

She got the drinks and sat back down. "So, how have you two been?" she asked.

"Good. I'm back at the hospital and Kate's going to school to become a social worker," Jack told her. "And you?"

"I moved back to Miami. My sister's there, with her son. I finally got to meet him." Juliet's face lit up. Now that there was a conversationg oing, Kate felt more at ease with the other woman.

Kate smiled. "I still can't believe we got off that island."

"Me either", agreed Juliet. She paused, twirling her straw around in her drink. She slowly looked up, the smirk back on her face. "So, when's the due date?"

Kate stared at her, open mouthed. A glance at Jack told her that he didn's tell Juliet anything. He was just as shocked as her.

"Oh, don't look so suprised", Juliet laughed. "I'm a fertility doctor, I know the signs. You've gained a little weight, and you're refusing alcohol. Besides, I could have told by the way Jack keeps looking at your stomach and smiling, so I guess he's the father."

"Yeah," Kate replied softly. "Is it really that obvious?"

"Like I said, I work with pregnant women. I'm sure no one else will notice, and I don't plan on telling them," said Juliet. "I guess I should say congatulations."

"Thanks", Jack replied.

"No problem. Well, I better be going. I told Hurley I'd show him pictures of my nephew." With that, she stepped down and went off to find Hurley.

"I still don't like her", Kate said uneasily. "But I have to admit, that was good."

"Yeah, and here we were, thinking no one would notice", Jack laughed.

"Hey, she said you were the one giving it away." Kate teased. She sighed contentedly."You know, I never thought I'd be one of these people."

"What do you mean?" Jack asked confusedly.

"The kind of people who get congratualated on their pregnancy, and don't have to worry about what their life is going to be like tomorrow. I always wanted to, but I didn't think I would."

Jack smiled at her. "To be honest, I didn't think I would either."

Kate laughed. "You? Come on, look where you grew up. You practically had that life layed out for you."

"Well, I thought I had all that with Sarah. But when she left me, I went through a rough time. I just thought, maybe it wasn't in the cards for me," he admitted.

Kate leaned accross the gap between them to kiss him gently. "I guess you just got lucky when I came along, huh?"

Jack laughed. "Yeah, I guess I did."

* * *

Coming Up: I'll skip ahead a little, and maybe have a Margo visit :)! How will she react to Kate being pregnant? How will she react to Kate in general!? 


	23. Cravings

Don't be fooled by the fluff at the beginning of the chapter. This story is about to get interesting. Things are about to pick up. Read the chapter and you'll know what I'm talking about:)

* * *

"Please, Jack! Just one cup?" Kate begged. He firmly shook his head, so she tired again. "Jack, one little sip won't do anything. Give me the coffee!"

"Kate, you know it's not good for you or the babies. Come on, you've already gone seven months, let's not end this now." He held the cup of coffee in his hand, away from her own outstretched one. He was unable to gide his grin, which aggrivated Kate even further.

"Seven months without coffee, Jack! I've been so good, but I really don't think that I'll last another minute right now. You know how late I stayed up studying. None of that will matter if I fall asleep half way through the exam!"

"You'll do fine", he assured her. "Without coffee."

She made one final lunge at his arm, before he took a sip out of it himself.

"Oh, now you're just torturing me," she complained.

He smiled. "Maybe."

A few hours later, he was waiting outside for Kate to enter the car. He found himself getting nervous, hoping she did well on the exam. Finally she came out, and he had to grin. Her stomach had expanded so that it was obvious she was pregnant. The extra weight made her walk unevenly, and he thought that she looked amazing.

"Hey", she greeted him, sliding into the car. Before she sat down, she saw something resting on the passenger seat. Her eyes widened. "Jack, did I ever tell you how much I love you?"

She had found that mound of food sitting there. Salt and vinegar chips, mint chocolate chip ice cream, a slice of Hawaiian pizza, a large bag of M&M's, and a grapefruit.

"Everything you said you were craving this morning", he laughed, as she leaned over to give him a quick kiss, before examining the food exitedly. "It's to make up for the coffee."

She pushed to food over, and sat down. "That's the one thing that's missing," she smiled.

He reached into the backseat of the car and pulled out something else.

Kate's eyes lit up. "Coffee?"

"Don't get too excited; it's decaf," he laughed.

"It's better than nothing", she told him, happily taking a sip from the cup. "Seven months without coffee. These kids better appreciate it."

"Seven months that I've had to listen to you complain about not having coffee" he teased. "You're right, they better appreciate it."

She playfully smacked him on the arm, before tearing open the bag of chips. After eating a few of the chips, she leaned over to kiss him again, longer this time. She felt him slide his tongue into her mouth, and she opened it to allow him access. However, he suddenly pulled away from her, a strange look on his face.

"What's the matter?" Kate asked, suprised.

"You taste like salt and coffee. Not a good combination", he replied, making her laugh.

"Oh, well then I guess you won't be interested in what I had planned for when we get home", she told him, raising her eyebrows suggestively.

His eyes widened. "No, I think I'm up to that", he assured her, making her laugh again at his eagerness.

"I'm the pregnant one here. Aren't I supposed to be craving sex?"

"I'm a guy, Kate. I'm always craving it. Besides, I think you're too busy craving everything else", he said jokingly, eyeing the pile of food.

"Now you're making fun of me?" she said, a mock look of hurt on her face. "Oh, you're definatly not getting any."

"No, I was kidding!" he insisted. "You're the most beautiful, wonderful, amazing woman in the world."

"Suck up", she smiled. "You're lucky it's working."

* * *

"You are incredible", Kate told him, laying by his side on the bed. 

Jack laughed. "You're not so bad yourself." The two of them lay in a comfortable silence for a while, before Jack spoke up. "I forgot to ask you. How'd the test go?"

"Good", she replied. "I think I might have actually done okay."

"That's great", said Jack, rolling onto his side. Catching sight of the clock, however, he stiffened. "Shit", he muttered.

"What's the matter?" asked Kate.

"I was supposed to be at the hospital.." he thought for a moment, "five minutes ago."

"You have to work?" she asked.

"I took the morning off to be with you, so I have to go in for a little bit", He pulled his shirt over his head and leaned in to give her a quick kiss. "I'll be back soon."

"Okay", Kate replied. "Don't be late, Claire's coming for dinner."

With a nod, he was out the door, leaving Kate to wonder what to do for the rest of the afternoon. Lifting herself up, quite a task due to her large pregnant belly, she started to get dressed. She walked around the house, trying to think of some chore to do, but realized she was too tired. Flopping down on the couch, she turned on the t.v.

She had barely been watching for twenty minutes when she heard the phone ring in the kitchen. Sighing, she lifted herself out of the seat. Her mood improved significantly when she saw Jack's name on the caller I.D.

"What, you couldn't stand to be away from me?" she joked. However, the tone of his voice quickly changed her mood.

"Kate, I think you should get down here," he said quickly, as if he was being rushed.

"Jack? What's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

"It's Sawyer-" he began.

She could swear she stopped breathing. "Oh my god", she interuppted, "he's not-"

Now it was Jack's turn to interupt. "No, nothing like that. He.. umm.. he's awake."

Kate let out the breath she had been holding. "That's good, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is. It's just.. I really think you should come down."

* * *

Finally! Sawyer's awake! Review and I'll update faster! (I'm not above bribing!)

A/N: I wrote some of this chapter really quickly, and some parts slowly. So, if there are and spelling/gramatical mistakes in the rushed parts, try to ignore them!


	24. Awake, But Not Aware

"Jack, what's going on?" Kate asked hurriedly, after finally finding him at the hospital. They were standing outside the door to Sawyer's room, and Kate was mentally preparing herself to talk to him after all this time.

"Sawyer's physical health is fine," Jack started, as if unsure how to go on. "But-" before he could finish, Sawyer's voice came through from the room.

"Doc? Is that you? If it is, you better come in here. You've got a lot of explaining to do."

"What does he mean?" Kate asked. "Jack, what's wrong with him?"

"Freckles?" Sawyer's voice lit up. "Will the two of you get in here?"

Sighing, Jack nodded towards the room. He walked inside, closely followed by Kate.

"Damn, it is you. Finally, somethin' that makes sense." His eyes found Kate's pregnant stomach. "And yet another thing that don't"

"Sawyer, I can explain," she began, quickly trying to find the way to tell him that was easiest on his feelings.

"How 'bout this? I'll ask you two some questions, and you answer."

Swallowing the nerovus lump in her throat, Kate nodded. "Okay," Jack agreed.

"First off, where the hell are we?" Sawyer exclaimed. "This don't look like the island to me. And all those people who keep comin' in, they don't seem like they're trying to kill me, so that rules out our friends from across the island."

Kate caught Jack's eye and he nodded. "Sawyer, what are you talking about?" Kate asked.

"I'm talkin' 'bout the last thing I remember, I was gettin' a bag shoved over my head. Now, by the looks of it, I'm in the middle of some hospital. So unless we found a really good hatch, I'd say we're off the island."

As Kate's mouth dropped, Jack spoke up. "He has amnesia. He can't remember anything that happened after we got taken by the Others."

"Can't say I'm too thrilled", Sawyer piped in. "From what I can tell, we got rescued, and I missed the whole thing."

"You mean, you don't remember anything? Nothing about what happened with the Others, or after we got off the island?" Kate asked, too shocked to really comprehend what was going on.

"That's about it, Freckles. How long we been off?" he asked.

"Almost a year," Jack told him. "You've been in a coma for almost eight months, so it's not that uncommon for you to forget things. Your memory might return in time."

"It will?" Kate piped in. Secretly, she had been hoping that she wouldn't have to tell Sawyer about anything that happened between them. As horrible as it sounded in her mind, she could just pretend nothing ever happened.

"Well, ain't that reassuring. My memory 'might' come back", Sawyer said, irritated. "How 'bout you two fill me in on what happened?"

As Jack launched into a description about their time with the Others, Kate sat quietly in her seat. In her head, she was trying to think of what to tell Sawyer. She noticed that Jack left out the part about her sleeping with Sawyer. She would have to tell him herself.

"When we got off the helicopters, everyone pretty much went their own way," Jack was finishing. "Hurley had a reunion a couple months ago, and just about everyone turned up."

"You don't know anythin' about what happened after? Where I went, what I did?" Sawyer asked.

"Not much," Jack told him, and Kate saw him trying to catch her eye. She looked away.

"Do you know who would?" Sawyer asked, and Kate squeezed her eyes shut. She had to tell him. She had to, but she couldn't.

"Why don't we figure that out later?" Jack suggested. "You need to rest, so we'll leave you alone for a while."

"Yeah. Hey, could you send in that blonde nurse? I think she likes me", Sawyer smirked.

"Vanessa? Don't bother, she's engaged", Jack laughed.

"That didn't stop her from flirtin' with me", Sawyer retorted.

"That doesn't stop her flirting with anyone. I've had a few narrow escapes myself", Jack revealed. "Watch out for her. Her fiancee's not afraid to speak his mind. Or use his fists."

They were about to walk out of the room when Sawyer asked, "Hey, Freckles? Who knocked you up?"

Kate stiffened. "Nobody you know", she said, and continued out the door.

When they were a safe distance away, Jack turned to Kate. "Nobody you know?" he repeated, clearly irritated.

"I can't tell him yet, Jack. He just woke up, it's too much," Kate replied.

Jack softened. "You're right. Just let him rest for a while first. But umm.. what are you going to tell him about.." he trailed off.

Kate shrugged. "I don't know."

"Okay, but figure it out soon. He's not going to stop asking about it." Giving her a light kiss, he started to leave. "I have to go back to work. You can go in and talk to him if you want."

"Yeah, sure," said Kate. "Hey, and Jack? Who's Vanessa?" she asked, eyebrows raised.

He laughed. "Trust me. No one you have to worry about."

As Jack walked away, Kate contemplated going back into Sawyer's room. She took a step forward, but then retreated. Knowing it was what she had to do, she forced herself in.

"Hey there, Freckles. So much for givin' me time to rest. Where'd the doc go?" Sawyer asked.

"He had to go back to work", she told him.

"So, this is his hospital. That explains why he's here, but what about you? I didn't think you'd stick around," he replied.

"Neither did I", Kate admitted. "Listen, Sawyer, I-"

Kate was cut off by a nurse stepping into the room. "If you don't mind, I need to do a check on Mr. Ford. Could you come back later?" she asked.

Seeing Sawyer's smirk, she realized this must be the infamous Vanessa. Holding back a grin of her own, Kate replied, "Yeah, I'll come tomorrow, okay?"

"See ya then, Freckles", Sawyer replied. As she walked away, she could hear him saying to the nurse, "You can call me Sawyer, Cali".

"Cali?" Vanessa replied, confused.

"California. As in that blonde hair of yours". Well, at least his personality was the same, if not his memory.

Kate realized what a narrow escape she had. She still didn't know what to tell Sawyer, but she realized she better think soon. His memory could come back at any moment.

* * *

Coming up: Claire finds out Sawyer's awake, and we see her reaction. Kate contempalates telling Sawyer about their life before the accident, and a little bit of Jack Jealousy ;) 


	25. The Truth,Or Not

Okay, here's a long one for you. Thanks for the reviews!

* * *

Jack walked into the condo, rubbing the bridge of his nose and sighing deeply. What had been a very long day was finally coming to an end. He had been stuck in surgery for hours, so he was late coming home. 

He entered the bedroom to see Kate lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. He flopped down beside her, placing his hand over hers.

"How did it go?" he asked.

"We didn't really talk much", she answered, "I'm going back tomorrow."

Jack nodded. "What are you going to tell him?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. The truth?" She didn't sound at all sure of herself.

"You know, you can take your time, Kate. Tell him when you're ready."

"If I take my time, I'll back out. He could get his memory back any second, and he'll hate me if I don't tell him. He deserves to know." She hadn't moved her gaze from the ceiling yet.

Jack rolled over on his side and faced her. "Are you okay?"

She finally looked at him, and he could see the confusion in her eyes. "How would you feel if it was you? He's going to be hurt no matter what. I guess I just never thought about what would happen when he woke up. I didn't this this day would ever come."

Jack gripped her hand tighter. "You didn't do anything wrong. This just.. didn't happen under the best circumstances."

"Yeah", Kate replied, but she didn't sound sure. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

She rolled over to turn off the lights, and layed back down, facing the wall. Jack pulled her closer to him, his arm wrapping around her pregnant belly. She leaned into him, whispering a soft, "I love you".

* * *

"Kate?" she awoke to Jack saying her name quietly. 

"Jack, what time is it?" she grumbled. She rolled over to see the clock and sighed. "Why are you waking me up so early?"

"I wanted to see if you were coming to the hospital with me", he replied, and yesterday's events came rushing back to her.

"Oh. Yeah, I'll be right up".

The car ride to the hospital was quiet and tense. Jack kept sneaking glances at Kate, which didn't go unnoticed be her. She just chose not to say anything.

They parted ways as they exited the elevator, and Kate paused outside Sawyer's room. She could hear chatter from inside the room, but entered when she saw it was a nurse.

"Okay, Mr. Ford, I'm done here. Try not to get into any trouble." A different nurse, this one older than Vannessa, was leaving his room. Before she left she turned to Kate. "This one's a handful. I'm the third nurse who's been assigned to him." She turned back to Sawyer. "You aren't getting rid of me that easy."

Sawyer smirked. "Whatever you say, Juanita."

The nurse left, and Sawyer turned to Kate. "Hey, Freckles."

"Sawyer, how have you managed to go through three nurses?" asked an amused Kate.

"They haven't.. met my requirements" he told her. "This one's gonna be harder to crack though."

Kate rolled her eyes. "So, uh do you remember anything?" she asked cautiously.

"Nope, still pulling blanks," he told her. "Eight months, Freckles. Do you know how mush I could'a done in those months?"

"Yeah, I do," Kate told him. 'More than you know', she refrained from saying.

"So, what have you been up to, besides making babies?" Sawyer asked.

"Not much. I went back to school," she told him. Something Sawyer had always told her wasn't worth her time or money.

"Well, well, well. Freckles, college student. Has a wierd ring to it." She laughed. "Any of our island buddies stick around, besides Jack-O?"

"Claire's living nearby", she replied. A thought struck her. "I'll be right back."

She walked out to the hall, and pulled out her cell phone. Claire would want to know that Sawyer was awake.

"Hey Kate, can I call you right back?" Claire's hurried tone came through the phone. She could hear Aaron screaming in the backround. "I don't know what's gotten into him. He just won't stop, and I have the worst headache-"

"Claire," Kate interuppted, "Sawyer's awake."

She heard Claire go silent, only Aaron's raised voice coming through the line. Finally, Claire spoke up. "When?"

"Yesterday afternoon," Kate informed her.

She could swear she heard Claire choke back a sob. "That's great. I'll come down as soon as I can."

"Claire, there's something you should know."

Her happy tone faltered. "What's wrong with him?"

"He lost his memory", Kate replied. "Well, some of it. He doesn't remember anything after Michael brought us to the Others."

"Oh. Oh my god. He doesn't remember being with you?" Claire exclaimed.

Kate shook her head, before realizing that Claire couldn't see her. "No, he doesn't remember anything."

"What are you going to tell him?" Claire asked.

After a pause, Kate replied, "I don't know."

"Okay, I'll be right there. I'll help you." With that, Claire hung up and Kate awaited her arrival. Less than ten minutes later, she was coming through the door, carrying a hysterical Aaron.

"I tried to find a babysitter, but then I realized you are my babysitter", she explained.

"It's fine", Kate said over the noise. "Let's just go back to the room."

She turned around and headed down the hallway, not looking back. When she finally did, she realized Claire wasn't moving.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing," Claire said quickly. "I'm coming."

They reached Sawyer's room, and while Kate stepped confidently in, Claire tagged behind.

"Freckles, you're back", said Sawyer. It didn't take him long to hear Aaron's shrieks. Claire stepped in, a shy smile on her face.

"Well howdy, Mamacita. You still haven't figured out how to shut that kid up?" Claire blushed, shaking her head with a soft chuckle. Kate watched her, confused by her behavior, and not for the first time.

Aaron continued to cry, before Sawyer let out a sigh of exhasperation. "Let me see him."

Claire handed the baby, now almost two years old, to Sawyer. "Nice to have my personal alarm system back again", Sawyer said, talking to Aaron. "Let me tell ya, you shriekin' like that almost makes me wish I was back in that coma."

Claire laughed, and she wasn't alone. Aaron's cries had turned into laughter, which made even Sawyer crack a smile.

"Well look at that. Some things never change", he smirked.

"Thanks", Claire said softly, the first word she had spoken.

"Sawyer, is Kate in here?" Jack's voice came through the door. "Oh," he said stepping in.

"Hey, Doc. Welcome to the party", said Sawyer, holding out his arms.

Ignoring Sawyer, Jack turned to Kate. "I've been trying to call you. You have.. an appointment", he told her, his gaze sliding to Sawyer. Kate looked back at Jack confusedly, before realizing he was referring to the babies.

"Hey, don't mind me. If you two wanna go make out in an on call room, don't let me stop you," Sawyer joked.

"What do you-" Kate started.

"I'm not an idiot, Freckles. Somethin's up with you two. Why else would you still be in L.A.? 'Course, according to you, the baby ain't the docs, so I guess that's a problem. Knowing him, though, he's probably heroically offered to take the kid in too."

Kate saw Jack's eyes flash dangerously. "We'll be right back," she said, leading him out of the room.

"What's the matter?" Kate asked when they were safely out in the hallway.

"Nothing," he replied, avoiding her eyes. Seeing her look he replied, "You told him they aren't mine?"

"I told him he didn't know the father, remember?" she asked.

Jack didn't look reasurred, but his face softened a bit. "Yeah. I just.. you weren't the only one not ready for him to wake up."

Kate lifted a hand to stroke his cheek. "Don't worry about it, okay?" She knew he still had insecurites when it came to Sawyer. "I'll tell him soon."

"Okay", Jack replied. "I have to get back to work. Don't forget your appointment. It's in a half an hour."

He left, and Kate turned to tell Sawyer and Claire she would be back later. Sitting in the waiting room, Kate went over all the possible ways of explaining to Sawyer, each sounding worse than the one before.

* * *

I know I promised a jealous Jack, and there will be more of that. I think I gave you a taste at the end :). I wanted to put more in this chapter, but it got longer than I had planned. 

Next: Sawyer has more questions, and Kate tries to dodge them. Maybe I'll even throw in the Margo visit I promised a while back.


	26. On Shaky Ground

Okay, once again I lied about the Margo visit. There's too much going on right now, so I'm going to save it for later. Instead, here's a nice angsty update for you!

* * *

"How'd it go?" Jack asked as Kate entered the house.

She sighed. "He still can't remember anything, but besides that-" Kate began.

"I meant the appointment," Jack interuppted quietly.

"Oh! Fine," she replied quickly.

"No problems?" he asked shortly, avoiding her eyes.

"Everything checked out," she smiled.

"Okay." He paused. "I'm just going to go to bed. I had a long day".

Kate walked over to his standing figure, snaking her arm around his waist. "You sure you just want to go to bed?" she asked mischieviously.

"Kate," he shrugged her arm off gently. "I'm really tired, okay?"

"Oh," she replied, sounding wounded, "umm, alright then."

Looking at her eyes and seeing the hurt, Jack tried to make up for at least some of it, even if he was angry with her. "I lost a patient. Five year old kid with a tumor. I just really need this day to end."

"Okay," Kate replied, looking a little reassured. "Goodnight." She gave him a quick kiss before he went off to bed. "I'm sorry about your patient."

"Yeah, me too."

The drive to the hospital the next morning was even more quiet and tense than the morning before. This time, it was Kate sneaking glances at Jack, wondering what had gotten into him.

After an awkward goodbye, she stepped into Sawyer's room to find him scowling at his nurse.

"Come on, Juanita. There's nothin' to watch on here. I'm not an Oprah kind'a guy," he was complaining.

"Well, James, you're about to become one. Unless you prefer Doctor Phil?" she proposed, handing him the remote.

"Nah, Oprah's fine. Besides sometimes there's some hot chick on here talkin' 'bout how she overcame her eating disorder."

"You seem to know alot about the show. Maybe you're an Oprah kind of guy after all", she winked.

Sawyer scoffed. "Nah. Just had a lot of girls in my day. Speaking of which, come on in, Freckles."

For a second, Kate's heart stopped. Then she realized he was joking about having been with her and she cracked a smile.

"Well, I have other patients to see," began the nurse. "None of them quite as spirited as you, James."

"Bye then," he retorted. "And I hate bein' called James!" he yelled after her.

Looking over her shoulder, Sawyer's nurse smiled. "Oh, I know."

After she left, Sawyer sighed. "I think she's stayin' whether I like it or not."

"I think you're right", Kate replied. "So, anything coming back to you?"

"Nope", he replied, frusterated. "Nothin'".

She nodded, and he moved on to another subject. "So, Blondie said she was comin' in today."

"Claire?", Kate asked.

"Yeah," he clarified, "she seems pretty happy to see me, don't ya think?"

It felt good for someone else to voice her thoughts. "Yeah, it's wierd isn't it?"

"Yeah, who would ever be happy to see me out of a coma?" Sawyer retorted with a smirk. "So, the doc makin' his rounds?" he asked.

"Yeah. He has a few surgeries today," she replied, hoping they would move off the subject soon. She didn't want to think about why Jack was mad at her all of a sudden.

"So, you two are together then?" Sawyer asked, his voice losing its playful tone.

Kate nodded. She could at least be honest about this. "Yeah."

"I should'a known. It was only a matter of time. Big Shot must be thrilled, gettin' his money from Hatchy."

Kate laughed, thinking of Hurley and Desmond's bet. "Did everyone know but us?"

"Pretty much," Sawyer replied with a smirk.

Kate's grin suddenly faded. "Sawyer, Hurley told me they made that bet after we got back from the Others", she said quietly.

Sawyer's eyes widened, and he looked like he was straining himself to remember. "I don't remember anythin' else. I just know that they had a bet goin'."

Kate heartbeat started to go back to normal. "Oh."

"Damn it!" Sawyer exclaimed. "Of all the stuff I could remember, that's what pops into my head?"

"Don't worry. It'll come back." she reasurred him. "But would it be that horrible if it didn't?"

He stared at her in shock. "Freckles, how would you feel if you couldn't remember a year of your life? I don't even know what I did after the rescue!"

Kate nodded. "Yeah, of course. I'm sorry?"

Sawyer eyed her skeptically. "What's gotten into you, Freckles? You've seemed wierd ever since I woke up. Ya won't tell me who the kid's dad is, you're avoidin' my questions, and now you don't want me to remember?"

"I don't know what you're talking about", she told him, uncomfortable with the fact that he was catching on.

Sawyer scoffed. "Sure. So tell me, who went and knocked you up?"

As she frantically searched her brain, it seemed like she would finally have to tell him everything. That is, until a voice came through.

"Hey Sawyer, how are you? Oh, hi Kate!" Kate gave herself a mental note to thank Claire over and over again when they got out of here.

"Hey there little mama. Freckles was about to tell me who her baby's daddy is. Has she told you?" Kate's momentary relief vanished. She gave Claire a pleading look, hoping she would understand.

Luckily for Kate, she did. "Nope. She hasn't told anyone," Claire told him.

"You always were secretive," Sawyer smirked. "I just hope Jack-O don't care that you aren't tellin' him."

Kate forced a smile but didn't reply. One of the babies chose that time to take a well aimed kick at her stomach, so her smile turned to a grimace.

"You okay,Freckles?" Sawyer asked, worry written across his face.

She laughed and rubbed her stomach. "Someone's going to be a soccer player", she joked.

Claire laughed as well. "Aaron used to kick all the time."

Looking at her watch, Kate sighed. "I have class in an hour. I have to go." They exchanged their goodbyes, and Kate left.

Getting in her car, she turned around and went home. A little white lie never hurt anyone. When she arrived, she was suprised to see that Jack sitting on the couch, head in his hands.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

He slowly lifted his head. She could see from his worried gaze something was wrong. Slowly, he held up a hand.

"My hand was shaking. While I was in surgery, it started shaking. I had to stop, and a resident took over for me." He paused, gazing down at his arm. "I think it's a side effect from the gun shot. I don't know why it took this long, it never did it before."

Kate sat down next to him, putting her arm around his shoulder. "It'll be okay."

"No, Kate, it won't. If it doesn't stop, I can't perform surgery. I'll lose my job."

"Hey. Don't think that way", she said, pulling him closer. "It could be a one time thing. It's not doing it anymore", she pointed out, gazing at his steady hand. "And if the worst happens, we'll deal with it then, okay?"

He nodded. "Right", he replied, not sounding reasurred at all.

There was a moment of silence, until Kate spoke up. "He's starting to remember, you know. He told me about the bet between Hurley and Desmond."

Slowly, Jack turned his gaze to her. "Sawyer? You're talking about him again? I tell you that my career could be over, and all you can talk about is how Sawyer's getting his memory back?" His words were laced with anger, and Kate instantly regretted her timing of sharing the incident with him. "If you're really over him, why can't you just tell him? Is this about his feelings, Kate, or yours?" he snapped.

"Jack, I-" she began.

"Just don't," he replied. He walked away, and she could hear the door to their bedroom close. After some consideration, she walked out the front door and into her car. Starting the ignition, she headed back in the direction she had came from earlier.


	27. It's Never Easy

Okay, so there's absolutley no jate interaction in this chapter. Sorry! But, Kate finally does what she should have done in the first place. I really like this chapter so... read it.

* * *

Before walking into Sawyer's hospital room, Kate took a deep breath. Her world felt like it was spinning, and she almost backed out. One thing stopped her from turning around and running out of the hopital; the hurt in Jack's eyes when she talked about Sawyer. 

Finally, she stepped into the room. Interupting Claire and Sawyer's conversation, she stated, "Sawyer, we need to talk."

"Well, Freckles, me and Blondie are in the middle of a conversation here," he retorted.

She cast a pleading look at Claire. "Claire, do you mind?"

The other woman seemed to understand what Kate was going to do. "No, I have to go anyway. I told the babysitter it wouldn't be long."

After Claire left, Kate took a seat in the chair besides Sawyer's bed. He gave her a confused look, his eyebrows raised.

"What exactly do we need'ta talk about?" he asked.

Taking a deep breath, she made her final descision. "I know what happened to you after the rescue."

His eyes widened. "You do? How come you didn't tell me?"

Kate shook her head and then let it fall into her hands, not looking at him. "I couldn't."

"What do you mean ya couldn't?" he exclaimed. "I've been complainin' about this since I got out of the damn coma!"

"I know," she said softly. "I just couldn't."

"So how 'bout you tell me know?" he suggested, agitated.

She nodded. "I should probably start at the beginning. Jack told you about us being held in cages when we were with the others. He didn't tell you that me and you.. we uh.." she didn't want to continue, but she knew she had to, "We slept together."

Looking over to see his reaction, she saw a look of disbelief on his face. "Well, I'm not gonna say that ain't shocking."

She gave the smallest of smiles, and then continued. "They said they were going to kill you, Sawyer. So I snuck into your cage. We didn't stop, you know, when we got back to the camp."

Sawyer was shaking his head. "What about the doc? He didn't have anythin' to say about this?"

"Well, he had Juliet," she spat out, even though she knew they were never in a real relationship. Besides, she had no right to be jealous. She had been with Sawyer. "We weren't even really together. Jack only knew because.. because of those damn moniters."

"Moniters? He saw us?" he asked. She nodded grimly in clarification. He smirked. "Kinky". She glared at him, and his smirk quickly disappeared. "I take it you didn't want him to know?"

"No", she let out a humorless laugh. "Definatly not."

"So what the hell were we, Freckles? This is soundin' like a kind of friend with benefits thing to me."

"No, that wasn't it." She didn't even know what they were. "When we got off the island, we lived together. Moved around a little bit, then settled in L.A. I was there when you got hit by the car."

Sawyer let out a low whistle. "Sawyer Ford, settled down. Who would'a thought?"

"I wouldn't exactly say settled down", Kate corrected him. "Unless you call moving apartments every month, and conning people outside convenience stores settled down."

"I thought it sounded crazy", he replied. "So.. me and you, huh? Well, how'd you end up with the doc?"

"When you got hit, this just happened to be your hospital. And Jack just happened to be your surgeon for your spinal injuries. We tried to just be friends, but..," she trailed off.

"You and Jacko could never just be friends. Especially with me out'a the way", he smirked, but she could see in his eyes that he was somewhat hurt.

"Listen, Sawyer, I know you can't remember anything, but I am so sorry. I didn't want it to happen like this. You can't remember now, but I think we were both using each other to a certain extent. You told me, that I could.. when I saw Jack with Juliet... I'm not proud of what I did to you, and you don't have to forgive me." She paused. "But I would be really, really glad if you did."

He seemed to think about it, before giving her a slight nod. "Hell, I always knew you'd end up with the doc. I mean, I like ya, Freckles, but doc.. he loves you. I can tell."

Kate smiled at him, and she could feel the tears stinging at her eyes. 'Damn hormones', she thought to herself. "I don't deserve for you to forgive me", she told him.

"Yeah, you're right. So just take it before I change my mind".

She laughed, leaning over to give him a hug. Before she could, however, he interuppted.

"Hey, I ain't that forgiving. And besides, you still haven't told me who the baby daddy is."

She forced a smile. "Why's it so important to you?"

"I dunno. Just curious I guess-" he started, but stopped suddenly. His face seemed to take on a look of understanding. "No."

Kate raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean, 'no'?"

"Is the kid.. it ain't.. mine?" he drawled out slowly.

Kate's eyes widened. "No," she said weakly, then repeated it forcefully, "_No_."

"Well, how do I know you're not lyin'?" he continued. "You won't tell me who the daddy is-".

"Jack," she cut in quickly, so quickly she didn't even recognize it as coming out of her own mouth. "Jack is the father."

"No, you told me he wasn't the father", Sawyer insisted.

"I just.. I didn't want to.." Kate was beginning to feel slightly and unexplicably dizzy. "You couldn't remember."

"What are you talkin' about?" Sawyer asked. He saw her sway slightly. "Freckles?"

"Sawyer.. I don't feel too great," she managed to get out. Her head was now very fuzzy, and she was having trouble getting a sentence together. Her legs started to feel weak, and she panicked. "Get.. get Jack," she said softly.

"Freckles?" Sawyer exclaimed, his face wrinkled in worry. He pulled himself out of the bed, and began slowly walking over to her. Seeing her lose her footing, he picked up the pace, barely reaching her before she fell backwards.

* * *

Next chapter: What's wrong with Kate? Why won't she just be straight up about the father of the baby? Oh yes, there is a reason. :) 


	28. Confession, Not Quite

She lay in a hospital bed, hating her surroundings. She had been seeing so much of hospitals lately, and now she even got to be the patient. 

After passing out in Sawyer's room, Kate had been moved to her own bed, where she had waken up minutes later. They had given her a diagnosis, and she was just waiting for Jack to get here, since she knew they called him.

She didn't have to wait long, it turned out, as he ran into the room. "Kate? Oh my god, what the hell happened?" His faced was laced with concern, a change from the anger she had seen earlier.

"Kate," he repeated when she didn't respond, cupping her face in his hands. "Are you okay?"

"I think I can help you there", stated a doctor who was entering the room. "Ms. Austen should be just fine. She was severely dehydrated, and she seems very stressed. Dehydration alone could cause her to black out, and the stress didn't help."

Jack nodded, eyeing the tube that was flowing fluids into her body. "When was the last time you had any water?" he asked her.

"I don't remember", she told him regretfully. "Sometime yesterday maybe?"

Jack ran a hand through his hair. "Okay. Alright", he seemed to have stopped, but she could hear him muttering under his breath. "How could I have not noticed that?"

"Hey," she piped in, startling him. "It's been a crazy few days. If I could forget to drink, I can forgive you for forgetting to make sure I did," she joked.

"No, not with the babies, I should have noticed-" His eyes widened in horror. "The babies. Are they okay too? When you fell, they didn't get hurt?"

The doctor answered for her. "The twins are doing just fine. We ran tests and everything seems to be normal."

"I didn't fall", she told Jack. "I was in Sawyer's room, and he caught me."

She could see Jack's expression change at the mention that she was with Sawyer, again. "Oh," was all he uttered.

She reached over to place her hand over his. "I told him everything, Jack."

The anger was now completely gone from his face, and replaced by what she would say was relief. "You did?" he asked, hope laced in his tone.

She nodded. "You were right, I needed to tell him. It had nothing to do with you. Please, don't ever think I would chose him over you. If I would, we wouldn't be here right now", she told him, gesturing to their joined hands placed over her pregnant stomach.

He grinned at her, but the moment was broken by someone else bursting into the room. "Kate!" Claire's worried voice came through the room "Oh my god, oh my god!"

Kate let out a weak laugh. "Claire, I'm fine. Just dehydrated, I guess."

Claire stormed over to her. "If I could stay hydrated on a desert island, you can grab a drink of water! Don't ever scare me like that again!"

Kate laughed again. "Wow, you're worse than Jack."

"Gee, thanks", Jack teased. "Claire, can you stay with her while I grab a coffee? I'll be right back."

"Yeah, sure. See Kate, he manages to stay hydrated too!" With one last laugh, Jack left the room.

"Okay, now that he's gone, we can move on to another thing you're doing that confuses me." She lowered her voice. "Why are you being so wierd about the babies?"

"What do you mean?" Kate asked, feigning innocence.

"Come on, Kate, Sawyer told me. Why didn't you just tell him about the babies right away?" she pressed.

Kate sighed. "I lied", she muttered, and Claire strained to hear her.

"You what?" she gasped. "Please tell me you didn't lie about Jack being the father."

"No," Kate replied, "at least I don't think so."

"What..?" Claire trailed off, confused.

Kate took a deep breath before replying. "Have you ever heard of.." she paused, as if trying to remember somthing, "..heteropaternal superfecundation?"

"No," Claire replied, visibly confused.

"Neither had I", Kate told her.

"_Miss Austen, nice to see you," said the ultrasound technician as Kate sat down. "Where's Dr. Shephard?"_

_The woman had by this time become familiar with both her and Jack. "He's stuck in surgery. He'll be so mad he missed this," Kate smiled._

_"Well, there will be more, and he's been here for all the other ones", the woman replied cheerfully. "Are you ready?"_

_"Yeah," Kate replied. At this point she was six and a half months pregnant_

_A few minutes into the ultrasound, the woman stopped. "I'm sorry if this offends you, but I need to ask you something."_

_"What is it?" Kate asked curiously._

_"Is there a possibility that there could be more than one father?" At her words, Kate's breath hitched._

_"I.. uh.. what do you mean?" she asked._

_"Have you ever heard of heteropaternal superfecundation, Miss Austen?" came the reply._

_"No, what does that mean?" Kate asked worriedly._

_"Sometime in twins, they can each have a different father," the technition explained, and Kate felt her eyes start to water._

_"That's not the case with my babies, is it?" It came out as less than a question, and more of a plea._

_"I'm not sure. Your two fetuses are developing at a slightly different rate. This could just mean that they are growing a little differently, which isn't serious. But..," she trailed off._

_"My babies could have different fathers," Kate finished, her voice shaking._

_"It's very rare," the technition assured her. "I just can't rule that out as a possibility."_

_"How can I find out? I need to find out", Kate stressed._

_"Well, you can wait until after the birth, and do a paternity test." Seeing Kate's look, she went on, "Or, if you need to know, we can perform an amnicentesis."_

_"When can that be done?" Kate asked._

_"There are risks, Miss Austen-"_

_"Where do I make an appointment?"_

"Kate.." Claire trailed off.

"I know, I know!" Kate exclaimed. "I just.. I couldn't tell Jack. Not until I knew the truth."

"I thought you were sure he was the father," said Claire.

"So did I," Kate replied. "When I got the date of conception.. I don't know. I guess something changes when there's twins. I'm not a doctor, I don't know!"

"Okay, calm down," Claire told her. "So you made an appointment? When is it?"

"Tomorrow," she said quietly, "it's tomorrow."

"You realize you need DNA for this? You'll have to tell him," Claire reminded her.

"It's taken care of", Kate told her, leaving it at that.

"So, now what?" Claire asked.

Kate heard Jack's voice from the hallway. "Now we wait," she replied, casting Jack a smile as he entered the room.

* * *

Okay, don't hate me for this! I promise things will work out, just trust me! And _technically_ she's not lying to Jack, unless the results say that Sawyer could be the father to one of them. Oh, and the more reviews I get the more inclined I'll be to make Jack the father of both babies:) 


	29. All Of You

Thanks for all the reviews! Maybe I should blackmail you more often! ;) I was going to make you wait another chapter for the results, but I was in a good mood when I wrote this. As a result, you get your answers at the end of this chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

"How are you feeling?" Jack asked as he crawled into the bed, in a considerably better mood than that afternoon. 

"Better", Kate replied, placing her head on his chest.

They had let her out of the hospital after she promised to watch what she was drinking, especially during her pregnancy. She was glad to be out, and not looking forward to going back tomorrow.

"Good," Jack told her, kissing the top of her head. "You need to stay healthy. Especially with these two hanging around." He placed his hand over her stomach, smiling when he felt one of the babies kick. "That one takes after you."

She laughed, trying not to let him see her eyes glistening with tears. "We need to think of some names," she said softly.

"We will". He moved his hand to wrap it around her. "We have two more months."

Again, she tried to stop the tears from failling. They might not have two more months. If one of the babies was Sawyer's, this could be their last night. Sure, Jack would be there, but it wouldn't be the same.

"Yeah. Two more months." She didn't want to talk anymore. She wanted to enjoy this night, in case the ones that followed were going to be tainted by tomorrow's outcome. Lifting her head from Jack's chest, she pressed her lips against his.

He was startled at first, as if not expecting it. Then he eagerly ran his finger through her hair, intensifying the kiss. They went on for a while, before she broke away. "I missed you." She didn't have to tell him what she meant. The past few days had been strained, with all that had been going on. They had barely even talked, going to bed with a quick 'goodnight'.

"I missed you too," he replied. Grinning down at her, he captured her lips with his once again, this time not breaking away for much longer.

* * *

"So, I'll see you tonight, okay?" said Jack the next morning, sidestepping the clothes that had been eagerly thrown onto the floor the previous night. 

"Yeah," she agreed, trying to sound as cheerful as possible.

Obviously she was unsuccessfull. "You okay?" Jack asked, rubbing a hand over her cheek.

"I'm fine," she replied, smiling slightly. "I'll see you tonight."

He didn't seem convinced, but didn't have time to question her further. "Okay. I love you," he told her. She genuinely smiled, happy to hear the words she had missed the past few days.

"I love you too." When he was out of the door, she let the tears fall, knowing this could be the last peaceful morning for a while. She slowly got dressed, calling Claire when she was ready to go.

"It will be fine," her friend assured her. "Jack will understand, no matter what. He's not the kind of guy who will leave you for this."

"How do you know that? This whole time, we thought..," she stopped, unable to go on. "It will crush him, Claire."

The other line was silent for a moment. "Don't worry about it. Just go in, and you'll find out. Don't worry until you know there's something to worry about."

After ending their conversation, Kate got into her car and drove to the hospital. Knowing that Jack had a surgery first thing in the morning, she was sure she wouldn't run into him. She didn't count on running into someone else.

"Hey, Freckles!" Sawyer called. She saw him walking unsteadily down the hall. "What are you doing here?"

"Nothing," she answered quickly, too quickly.

"You just decided the hospital would be a cool place to hang out?" He smirked.

"No, I just..came to see Jack," she lied.

"Right, the doc. Well, I'm on my way to physical therapy.. Have 'ta get my muscles back in shape. The sooner I do, the sooner I get out of this hell hole."

Kate gave him a tight smile. Soon, she would know if she was carrying his child. It was hard to look at him knowing that.

* * *

"Ms. Austen, you are familiar with the risks of an amniocenteses, correct?" her doctor asked. 

"Yeah," Kate replied, feeling a bit of guilt for putting her babies at risk, without even consulting Jack on it. "It will probably be okay though, right?"

"I can't make you any guarantees. Are you sure you want to do this?" She glanced at Kate, seeing her worried face.

"I have to."

An hour later, she walked out, relieved that it seemed to have gone off well. Her stomach was a little bit sore, but besides that she felt okay.

"We need the possible father's DNA," her doctor reminded her.

Reaching into her purse, she pulled out a toothbrush and hair brush. Blushing, she handed them over. "That's uh.. that's the best I could do."

"Kate," her doctor addressed her, "is Jack aware of this procedure?"

"No," she replied softly.

The doctor sighed. "I've known Jack for years, Kate. He deserves to know."

"He will. When I get the results. You're right, you do know Jack, so you know how much this will upset him. If there's no reason to upset him, why should I worry him over nothing?"

The doctor paused, as if debating with herself. "Fine. I really shouldn't do this without the father's permission, but Jack's an old friend. I really hope that everything turns out alright."

"Me too," Kate replied. She had no idea.

* * *

The next few days passed unbelievably slowly for Kate. She had never known time to drag on so much as it did in the days following her amniocenteses. She could barely look Jack in the eye, but he didn't seem to notice. Luckily for her, it was a busy week at the hospital, so he hadn't been home as much normal. 

"I'm really sorry, Kate," he had told her. "That accident the other night brought in more than we can handle. I'll take some time off when this all blows over."

"It's okay," she had assured him. Secretly, she hoped that those days would be filled with them planning for their twins, not worrying what to do now that Jack was the father of only one.

Four days after the test, Kate finally recieved a call from the hospital. After a quick conversation telling her the results were in, she rushed to the hospital.

"I'm here," she told the doctor, out of breath. The woman was waiting for her, an unreadable expression on her face. She was holding an envelope that Kate was sure contained the results of the paternity test.

"Hello, Kate. I hope the wait wasn't too bad. I'm sure you want the results." Kate nodded furiously, her heart pounding.

When she reached the condo that night, Jack was already home. "Hi," she said softly, sitting down beside him.

"Hey," he replied, kissing her forehead.

"I uh.. I need to talk to you," Kate told him.

"What's up?" he asked curiously.

"Jack, I love you, and I've never been happier than I am now. And I hope you're as happy as I am."

"Of course I am", he assured her.

"But I know that, even if you deny it, you can't be sure that the babies are yours and-"

"Hey," he interuppted. "I believe you about the babies."

"Let me finish", she told him. "I was going to say that I understand. How could you be sure? Especially since recently, I wasn't."

His expression changed to one of confusion. "What do you mean?"

"At my last appointment, I found out that the babies are growing at a different rate. They said that they might have different fathers," she told him, needing to be fully honest.

Jack's eyes widened. "But, I thought..," he choked out.

"I got a paternity test, Jack. I needed to know. _We_ needed to know." She pulled out the envelope. "They're yours," she told him, her face breaking into a smile, tears running freely down her cheeks. "There's nothing wrong with them either. They think they were conceived at different times," she laughed.

Jack's face spread into a wide grin as well, and she felt that there was something different about him. He hugged her tight, and she realized what it must be. The feeling of complete stability, knowing for sure that the twins were his. While she knew he believed her as much as he could, there was always that slight doubt. Now he had the proof right in front of him.

"I love you so much", she whispered. He didn't release his grip on her, and instead moved his mouth to cover hers. She responded eagerly, happy to be close to him without the feeling of nagging guilt.

"I love you too", he replied softly. "All of you," he added, placing a hand on her bulging stomach.

* * *

The next chapter is pretty fluffy, so be warned :). The chapter after that will have angst, though not between who you may think! 


	30. A Second Chance At The Dream

Here is your promised fluff. I hope you enjoy it, and drop a review!

* * *

A week later, Kate walked out of her class to find Jack waiting for her in the parking lot. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she gave him a quick kiss. "So, you gonna tell me why you insisted on picking me up today?"

He laughed. "Nope. Get in the car," he ordered playfully.

She did as he said, and slid into the passenger seat. They pulled onto the highway, and Kate realized they were heading in the opposite direction of their condo.

"Jack where are we going?" she asked.

"You'll see," he replied, not giving her any more than that.

Not long after, she started to see ocean. Feeling a smile creep onto her face, she asked again, "Where are we going, Jack?"

"You mean you can't tell?" he teased her.

She hadn't been to the beach since the island. Sawyer claimed he was sick of it, but she had secretly wanted to go back for a while now. Her heart sank when she looked down at her jeans and t-shirt. "What am I supposed to wear?"

"I figured you'd ask that. Look in the back seat," he told her, nodding his head towards the back of the car. Following his gaze, she saw a bag, looking like it was packed for more than a trip to the beach.

She reached back, then rested the bag on her lap. Opening it, she saw that it was full of her clothes. "It looks like I could live out of this for a month," she remarked.

"A week, actually," he corrected her, just as he pulled into a driveway. Looking out the window, she saw that he had parked next to a beautiful house, right accross the street from the beach.

"Jack.." she trailed off, "what is all this?"

"We needed a vacation," he said simply. "I didn't want to go too far, because of the twins and everything, but just to get away."

She smiled broadly at him. "Thank you."

They entered the house, Kate marveling at how nice it was. "Jack, there's four bedrooms in here. It's bigger than the condo," she told him. "You didn't need to get something so big."

"It's all they had last minute," he said vaguely. "Want to go to the beach?"

"Yeah. I never thought I would after the island, but I miss it," she laughed.

"Me too," he agreed.

She pulled out her bag, groaning at the sight of a bikini. "Jack, I can't wear this," she told him.

"Why not?" he asked, seemingly oblivious.

"I'm huge!" she exclaimed, a slight smirk on her face.

"No," he corrected her, grinning. "You're pregnant, and beautiful."

She finally agreed to wear the bathing suit, with a large tank top over it. Laughing, she remarked that it, "reminds me of the one Claire used to wear!"

They reached the beach, spreading out two towels in the sand. Both lay on their backs, hand entwined, reaquainting themselves with the ocean breeze.

"So, thought of any names?" he asked, stroking her hand lazily with his thumb.

"Nope. At this rate we're going to have to call them Kid 1 and Kid 2," she joked.

He chuckled. "Let's hope it won't come to that."

"That would be awkward on the first day of school, wouldn't it?" she replied. "We can do better than that."

"Yeah. I was thinking.. if it's a boy.." he paused, "I think we should name him after Charlie. I mean, he died to get us off that island. He deserves it."

She smiled. "I think that's a great idea. Charlie Shepard," she giggled, "It has a ring to it, doesn't it? Claire will be happy."

He nodded. "I hope so."

"So, one twin down, one to go," she leaned over, tracing a pattern in the sand. "I guess it's my turn." She was silent for a minute, then laughed. "I think I need a little more time on that."

"Just not too much time. I wouldn't want to resort back to the Kid 1, Kid 2 idea," he teased.

------

The next few days passed in a blur of sunny beaches and busy shops. Kate couldn't help but notice the children running around, and thinking of experiencing it with her own kids.

"I want our kids to go to the beach, Jack. Alot," she told him. She was laying against his chest, back on the beach where they had spent most of their time. It was beginning to get dark, and most people were gone.

"I don't think that will be a problem," he laughed.

She sighed peacefully. "I actually miss living on the beach," she shook her head in disbelief. "I thought I'd never want to see a beach again."

"I couldn't agree more," he replied. "It's like, after living there for so long, the city just doesn't measure up."

"I wish we could stay here forever," she said earnestly.

He shifted her so she was facing him. "What if we could?"

She stared back at him, confused. "What do you mean?"

"The house we're staying in? It's for sale," he told her. "I figured I'd see how you like it, and if you could ever imagine living there."

She smirked at him. "That explains the bedrooms."

He laughed, glad she didn't think the idea was crazy. "So what do you think? Could you stand to live on a beach again? I know it's not the same, but.."

"It's perfect," she told him, wrapping her arm around his waist. "I couldn't have picked a better house myself."

He grinned, "I'm glad you like it. But.. that's not all." His face went from happy to somewhat nervous.

"What more could you possibly have to give me?" she asked incredulously.

He gave her a small smile before taking a deep breath. "Kate, I never thought we would end up together, after all we've gone through. And everything happened so fast, I can't believe you're almost eight months pregnant."

Kate bit her lip in confusion. "Jack, I don't-"

He gently pressed a finger to her lips, silencing her. "Just listen," he laughed, then became serious again. "I wasn't sure of it before, and I don't think you were either, but I am now. I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He shifted his weight, reaching into his pocket, pulling something out. "Kate Austen, will you marry me?"

Her eyes were drawn to the ring he was holding. It was beautiful, but not overly done. It was perfect. She remained silent, gaping at it, not realizing she needed to answer.

Her answer, however, was all Jack could think about. "I..uh, understand if you need more time, but..," his confidence picked up again, "I'm sure about this, Kate. I love you, and I know we haven't had the best luck in marriage, but this is different. This is us."

She collected herself, still in shock at his proposal. "I..," she began slowly. Suddenly, her face broke into a smile. "Absolutely, yes. _Yes_."

His eyes widened, as if that wasn't the answer he expected. "Really?" he clarified, giving her one last chance to back out.

"Yes," she repeated. It was as if she couln't get enough of the word. "Jack Shepard, I would _love_ to marry you."

She barely finished speaking before his mouth met hers, in the the most intense kiss she'd ever experienced. She responded eagerly, kissing him back with all she had. She had never imagined herself getting married, for real, but in this moment she wouldn't want it any other way.

* * *

Next chapter: Probably some angst (not between Jack and Kate though...), I just need to be sure I can fit it it. This fic is coming t its end, so I may update faster, because I'm really excited about an idea I have for my next one. I'll let you know when the last few chapters are coming, but expect around five more. 


	31. Ring Recollection

The rest of their vacation flew by, and Kate could honestly say that they were some of the best days of her life.

"I don't want to go home," she said one night over dinner.

"We'll be back here soon," Jack laughed. "I just need to talk to the agent and get it all settled."

They finally left, although it wouldn't be for long. The drive home was peaceful, with Kate absent mindedly stroking the ring on her left hand. Jack looked over and noticed this, breaking the comfortable silence.

"I didn't think you'd say yes," he admitted.

"Neither did I," she replied honestly. "I wouldn't have if it was anyone else," she paused then asked, "If you thought I'd say no, why did you ask?"

He gave a loose shrug of his shoulders. "I didn't think you'd say yes, but I hoped you would."

She laughed, "Glad I could help".

They arrived home late that night, and slept late into the next morning. Waking up, Jack groaned at the thought of his afternoon shift at the hospital.

"I'm taking shorter shifts now," he told Kate over breakfast. "There's only a month until the babies are born, and I want to be here in case anything comes up."

"Thanks" she replied, remembering the deal she had made to let him take care of her. "I should probably go see Sawyer today, they'll be letting him out soon."

Jack nodded, and she was happy to notice there was no jealous glint in his eyes. It seemed he had finally accepted that Sawyer was only a friend to her not. She grinned to herself, realizing the ring on her finger probably had something to do with it.

She entered Sawyer's room, noting that it may be the last time she did so. His strength had improved, and he would probably get out any day.

"Well, look who finally showed up," he smirked. "Thought you weren't comin' back."

"Sorry, I didn't know I'd be out of town," she smiled.

"That explains you not stoppin' in to say goodbye then. I had to find out from Blondie."

"It was kind of a suprise," she told him, reaching up to move a stray hair out of her face. As she did so, she noticed his eyes widen.

"Looks like the doc finally popped the question!" he exclaimed, placing a hand over his heart and pretending to be shocked. "Didn't take you for the marryin' type."

She had to laugh at that, agreeing, "Neither did I".

His gaze focused in one the ring again, but then a strange look flashed over his face. "Sawyer?" Kate asked, seeing that he had lost focus.

"Sawyer!" she shouted when he didn't reply. Suddenly, he snapped back to reality.

"What happened?" she questioned. "Are you alright?"

"I.. I remember," he drawled out slowly. "Everythin'"

"That's great!" she exclaimed. She had come clean, she had nothing to hide. "But how?" she asked, not really expecting him to have an answer.

"Well," he began, his voice taking on an angrier tone, "I'm thinkin' that ring of yours might'a triggered somethin'".

"My ring?" Kate repeated, confused. "What does my ring have to do with anything?"

"Next time I lose my memory, you might wanna tell me the whole truth!", he shouted.

"Sawer, calm down," she said angrily. "What are you talking about, I told you everything!"

"Yeah? How about the fact that I was in love with you?" he replied.

"I told you we were together," she snapped.

"Ya made it sound like we were usin' each other," he told her,"You left out the part where I told ya I loved you!"

"I..I," she stammered. She glanced around desperatly, hoping a nurse would come in and interupt. Sighing, she realized she wasn't going to get an easy out this time. "I didn't know you felt that way."

"Sure you didn't," he growled out. "I told you!"

"Yeah, well you also told me I could use you for sex!" she retorted.

"That was back on the island. I thought we moved past that," he told her. "Where do you think all the con money went?"

"Why don't you tell me?" she asked, becoming angry herself. "Tell me why you weren't paying the rent on the apartment."

"I was savin' up ta buy you a ring!" he exclaimed, and she sucked in a gulp of air.

"You were what?" she choked out.

"Don't matter now. Looks like the doc beat me to it. Besides, you would'ta said yes, since you were just usin' me for sex, accordin' to you!"

"It wasn't like that," she piped in. "It was more than that, just not.. not what you thought it was, I guess."

He was silent for a moment, before biting out, "How do I know for sure that that kid ain't mine?"

She glared at him. "First off, there's two," she said, seeing his eyes widen. "Twins," she clarified. "And I got a paternity test, and if you really need to see the results I have them at home."

"You mean the doc's place," he said softly.

"I live there too, Sawyer. I'm sorry it had to happen this way, but.. that doesn't change anything. It wouldn't have worked out between us, you have to realize that," she replied quietly. The mood had changed drastically, and she couldn't help but feel sorry for Sawyer. She knew that he would realize, in time, that they weren't meant to be together.

"I guess there ain't nothin' I can do about it," he said, sinking back onto his pillow. "Maybe you're right, I don't think I could'a been with someone who was lyin' to me about another guy." She winced, his words stinging, even if she deserved it.

"You're right. I should have never let you believe I was over Jack. I can't take it back or change it, but I hope that you can forgive me. We don't have to be in love, Sawyer, but we can still be friends."

He laughed lightly. "Well, look at that. I'm gettin' the 'let's still be friends' break up line."

She gave him a small smile. "It's a little cliche, isn't it?"

"We ain't never been cliche, Freckles," he told her, and she was glad to see that while he wasn't fully comfortable with her, he wasn't biting her head off either.

Claire chose that moment to walk in the door. "Oh, you're back!" she exclaimed upon seeing Kate. Sawyer saw her enter, and Kate couldn't help but notice his smile widen. Kate also smiled at her, but frowned when she went on, "Oh my god, what's that on your finger?"

"We can talk about it later, Claire. I really need to get going," she said awkwardly, casting a sideways glance at Sawyer.

He chuckled. "You don't need to get all worked up, Freckles. I had a momentary lapse of good judgement."

Kate grinned, glad he wasn't holding a grudge. "Jack proposed," she told Claire.

"And I can see what the answer was!" her friends exclaimed. "Congratualtions."

"Yeah," Kate replied. "But I do really have to go. I'll see you later."

"Did Sawyer tell you he gets out tomorrow?" Claire questioned before she left. "I was thinking we could all get together."

"All?" Kate asked.

"You, me, Sawyer, and Jack," Claire clarified.

Kate and Sawyer shared a glance, and Kate could see his uneasy look. Covering it up, he smirked at her. "It's a date."

Kate forced a smile. "Yeah, that should be fun." Leaving the room, she tried not to go over the various possabilites of tomorrow's lunch. One thing was for sure, it would be interesting.

* * *

Next Chapter: Jack, Kate, Sawyer, and Claire have that lunch! We'll see how Jack and Sawyer interact, as well as some Conmama moments.

Also, I was thinking I might do a sequal to this. Not a normal sequal, but about 10 oneshots about their life after the story. I'll take requests if there's anything you want to see. It may not be updated frequently, because I do have another story planned. Two, actually, I haven't decided which one to do first yet!


	32. The Reason

This chapter's kind of short, and I will admit it, kind of a filler chapter. Things are going to pick up next chapter, because there's only a few more to go. But this does get some important issues out of the way.

Also (if you read my oneshot you'll already know this), I'm a little frusterated with island Kate. So, one of my stories that I have planned is AU (though they still crash), so I might go with that one, and save the other one until I like Kate better.

* * *

"Are you kidding?" Jack asked, wide eyed. "I don't.. Kate, how are we all going to sit through lunch together? He probably wants to kill me, not have a civilized meal together."

Kate almost had to laugh at Jack's worry. "Don't worry, I won't let him," she teased, planting a small kiss on his lips.

He blushed, bowing his head. "I'm not afraid of Sawyer," he assured her, "I just don't really want to have lunch with the guy who wanted my fiancee to marry him."

"So, you're going to make me go alone?" she asked, playing the guilt card. "I don't know if I'll be able to fend off all the marriage proposals he throws at me, Jack. I might have to give in," she joked.

"No, no, I'll go," he replied quickly. "I'm just warning you, it won't be fun."

She laughed. "He'll be fine. Besides, Claire will be there, and I'm starting to think he has a thing for her."

"A thing?" Jack echoed. "What kind of thing?"

"Let's just say, he's moved on from your girlfriend, to your sister," she smiled, seeing his shocked expression. "How did you miss that?"

"I.. I don't know. I don't visit him that much, so.." he replied.

"Well, you'll see tomorrow." she assured him. "But now, how about you reassure me that I chose the right ring?" She raised her eyebrows at him, moving in.

"I think I can do that," he smiled, sealing her mouth with his.

-

Kate fidgeted in her seat, staring across the table at Claire. Sawyer had been strangely well-behaved, and the four of them had mulled over everything from the weather to their time on the island. She should have known it would be too good to last.

"So, Doc, nice rock," he smirked, gesturing to Kate's ring. "Must'a cost a pretty penny."

Jack shrugged. "It was worth it," he said, putting his arm around Kate.

"I'm sure it was," Sawyer replied. "Nothing I could'a afforded, that's for sure."

Kate glared at him. Was he really going to bring this up here?

"Price doesn't matter," Claire assured him. "I'm sure Jack could have bought her a plastic ring, and she'd be happy. Right, Kate?"

Kate nodded, eyes still on Sawyer. "Of course."

Jack smiled at her, and she allowed her gaze to move over to him and return the smile. "But I can't say I don't love this ring," she laughed.

Sawyer scowled at her, and Jack didn't miss his look. "Okay, let's not do this. If there's something you want to say to me, Sawyer, just say it."

Sawyer smirked "Well, Doc, I see Freckles here has told you about our little conversation."

Claire looked back and forth between the two men, obviously confused. "What conversation?"

Sawyer looked over at her, and regret flashed over his face for an instant. As quickly as it had appeared, however, it was gone. "There was just a miscommunication when Freckles told me about our life after the island."

Kate raised an eyebrow. Was Sawyer seriously going to miss an oppertunity to harass Jack? Then she saw the way he was looking at Claire. He didn't want her to know.

"Oh," Claire replied. "Is everything okay?"

Sawyer considered it for a moment before replying, "I think so. I think I found myself a reason to get over it."

Kate smiled at him, nodding her head slightly towards Claire. He shrugged, giving her a small smile in return.

"Well, that's good," Claire stated obliviously, "We wouldn't want you two all mad at each other."

Jack decided to change the subject. "So, Sawyer, they finally let you out?" he asked.

"Yup," he replied, "I'm good as new. Just need to go back there in a month so they can make sure I'm functionin' properly," he smirked.

Claire laughed, then her face changed to a look of shock. "Kate, do you realize in a month you'll be having your babies?"

Kate chuckled. "Yeah, Claire, I kind of have this constant reminder," she gestured to her large stomach.

"I know that," Claire retorted, "It's just so surreal. We've been off the island for so long, and it seems like just yesterday we crashed."

There was a murmer of agreement throughout the table. "We should have another reunion, you know, so Sawyer can be there for this one," Claire continued.

Jack nodded. "Maybe Hurley will agree to host it again." Just then, Jack's phone rang. "Sorry," he said, pciking it up. Looking at the caller ID, he groaned. "Give me one second."

Flipping the phone open, he stated, "Mom, this isn't a good time."

Kate tensed at the word, mom. As far as she knew, Margo had no idea they were together, let alone engaged and pregnant.

"No, I really can't talk... Fine, what?" He sighed. "No, that won't..Yeah, okay. Thursday, see you then." He hung up the phone and frowned.

"Kate, I am so, so sorry," he started.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, worried.

"She wants to have dinner Thursday," he said, grimacing at the thought.

She had to laugh at his grim tone and expression. "Jack, it's not the end of the world."

Sawyer perked up from across the table. "What's this? Doc ain't a little mama's boy?"

"Definatly not," Jack stated. "You would understand if you met her."

At Sawyer and Claire's confused expressions, Kate spoke up. "She's umm.. critical. And I don't think she likes me."

Claire's mouth dropped. "Does she know about.." She pointed at the two of them.

"No, I uh.. don't talk to her much," he said guiltily.

"You're mum doesn't know that you're engaged? Or that Kate's pregnant?" Claire replied.

Jack shook his head, and Kate laughed. "Well, then, this should be interesting."

* * *

So, next chapter, I will finally give you the Margo visit! And a suprise at the end... 


	33. Soundproofed

Sorry for the wait. As some of you know, my faith in jate kind of goes back and forth lately. Last night's episode wasn't bad though, so here I am. I won't post any spoilers, since some of you havent's seen it, but I'll just say it doesn't look good for skate. I hope you like this chapter, and that it came out okay. I tried to show different sides of Margo, so I hoped I pulled that off. It's pretty long, so I hope that makes up for the wait.

* * *

Kate lay next to Jack in bed, exhausted. She was about to fall asleep, when she rolled onto her side and looked down at him. "Is she going to be mad?" she asked quietly. 

"What?" Jack answered groggily, rubbing his eyes.

"Your mom, is she going to be mad you didn't tell her?" Kate asked. She couldn't explain it, but worry had set itself inside her about his mother's reaction. Even though she knew it wouldn't matter to Jack, she wanted his mother to like her.

He was silent, then responded softly. "Probably." At her shocked expression, he continued. "I'm not going to lie. She'll probably be pissed. But she'll get over it. She always does."

"Always?" Kate repeated. "You mean you've had a pregnant fiancee that you haven't told her about before?"

Jack laughed. "No, but I didn't tell her I was seeing Sarah until we were engaged."

"Really?" Kate asked. "Well, she's in for a bigger suprise this time."

"Yeah," Jack agreed. "But it doesn't matter. No matter what she thinks, I don't care."

Kate smiled, resting her head on his chest. "Okay. But maybe we should have dinner in a public place. That way there will be witnesses."

"For what?" Jack asked.

"If she kills me."

* * *

Eventually, Jack talked Kate into agreeing to have dinner at his mother's house. "She has a maid, so I promise she can't kill you," he teased. "Or me," he added in an afterthought.

Jack's surgery ran late, so they were rushing to get to his mother's house. They finally arrived, a half an hour late.

"Great," Kate muttered as they waited on the doorstep, "Like she needs another reason to hate me." Jack squeezed her hand reasurringly.

"It takes two, Kate. She can't think you did all this on your own."

The maid answered the door, and they stepped into one of the nicest house Kate had even been in. "This is beautiful, Jack. You really grew up here?"

He looked around, and she couldn't help but notice the disturbed look on his face. "Yeah."

"Your mother is upstairs. She'll be down in a moment," said the maid. "You can sit in the dining room."

Jack and Kate entered the large dining room, sitting down next to each other. He reached under the table, taking her hand in his. "Don't look so nervous," he laughed. "It'll be fine."

Just as he finished his sentance, Margo walked into the room. "Fashionably late, I see. Hello Jack, and.. I'm sorry I can't seem to remember-"

"Kate, Mom, her name's Kate," Jack cut in, and she could hear the anger already seeping into his voice.

"Right, of course. Jack just told me on the phone that you two are.. together," She was still across the table from Kate, so her pregnant stomach was hidden from view.

Kate forced a smile. "Yeah."

Margo contined her way around the table, aimed at the seat at the head. "Well, I can't say I didn't find that," her eyes widened, and the couple realized she had finally spotted their suprise, "shocking," she choked out. Her look of utter amazement was not lost on either of them. "I.. you're..," for once, Margo had nothing to say.

Peering over at Kate, Jack spoke up, "Pregnant," a small smile made it's way to his face. Kate's look couldn't be more different. She was staring at Margo, waiting for her reaction.

"Well," Margo recovered quickly, "is it yours?"

"You mean, are the babies Jack's?" Kate's eyes flashed angrily. "Yeah, they are."

"Babies?" Margo repeated. "There's more than one?"

"Twins," Jack informed her.

"But..but," she sputtered, "You two weren't even together at the party! How..?"

"Actually, that's where we ended up getting together," Jack told her. "You were just too busy to notice."

"Don't spin this on me, Jack!" Margo snapped. "I had people to look after. I'm not the one with a pregnant girlfriend!"

"Fiancee," Kate corrected her, quietly. She held up her left hand, the ring gleaming under the light. "We're getting married."

Margo's eyes widened, if possible, even more. She turned towards Jack. "You didn't think that this was something you should tell me? I should have expected this, after the Sarah situation."

Jack laughed bitterly. "Mom, if there's one thing I ask of you, it's to not compare Kate to Sarah." Kate smiled at him, a silent thank you. "There's no comparison."

Margo sighed, "You couldn't even wait to ger her pregnant until after the wedding?" she asked.

Jack actually blushed. Obviously this wasn't a topic he wanted to discuss with his mother. "That's uh, none of you business."

Margo almost cracked a smile at her son's reaction to her question. "Trust me, Jack, I don't want to talk about your sex life either." Now it was Kate's turn to blush. "I just think it was slightly irresponsible-"

She was cut off quickly by Jack. "Mom, this is my life. If you don't approve of what I'm doing, fine. Just don't expect to see your grandchildren if you can't respect their parents. We're going to get married, after the babies are born, and I'd like for you to be at the wedding. But if you can't accept that this is my life now, don't bother showing up."

Margo was silenced, staring at her son. Kate held her breath, waiting for her to snap back at him. Her reaction, however, was unexpected.

"I want to go," Margo replied quietly. "I want to meet my grandchildren. I just.. need to get used to this."

Jack stared at her, open mouthed. "Really?"

"Jack, when I thought you were dead, you and your father, I didn't know what to do. When I found out you were alive, I still didn't know what to do. Your father was dead, and I took it out on you. I'm.. sorry," she told him, bowing her head.

"You're apoligizing?" Jack asked in disbelief.

"I'm trying," Margo said, letting out a small chuckle. Kate realized it was the first time she had seen his mother smile, let alone laugh. "I want to try. Don't expect any miracles."

Jack laughed too, though the shock was still there. "Yeah, okay."

"So, um.. dinner?" Margo proposed. Kate nodded eagerly, the babies making her twice as hungry.

"That's right. I remember being pregnant with Jack, you must be starving," said Margo, making an attempt at politeness.

"Yeah," Kate agreed. "But, can I use your bathroom first?" She looked at Jack, raising an eybrow at him.

Jack stood up quickly. "I'll show you where it is." The two left the table, walking up the stairs.

"What was that?" Kate whispered, now that she had him alone. She was glad he had caught on to her signal. "Your mother's being.. nice."

"I know," Jack replied, shaking his head in disbelief. "I guss we'll just try it out, see how it goes."

He opened a door, and Kate realized they were in a bedroom. "Hey, where are we?" she asked.

He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "My old room."

Kate looked around, taking in the numerous band posters and the clothes still scattered around. There was a picture of Jack with his father on the bureau, and another of him and what looked like a younger Mark. The two were at a concert, surrounded by people.

"Looks like nobody ever cleaned up," she remarked, picking up a football jersey.

"My parents never really came in, they just left it as it was." He too looked around, as if seeing his own room for the first time.

"I take it you liked music," she said, pointing to the posters on the wall.

He gave her a sideways smile. "My parents hated it. They actually had my room soundproofed, so they couldn't hear my stereo."

She laughed. "I'm taking this shirt," she teased.

"It'll look better on you anyway," he replied, pulling it over her. It just fit over her stomach. "See, now you don't need anymore maternity clothes. Just use my old jerseys."

She peered over at the bed behind him, taking him by suprise when she pushed him onto it. Sitting on his lap, she kissed his neck, muttering, "cute bed."

"Kate," he started, laughing at her antics, "we need to go back,"

"Come on, Jack. The room's soundproofed, we could have some fun," she smiled devilishly at him.

"I could think of a million things I would love to do to you in here," he started.

"So do them," she replied, reaching her hand under his shirt and rubbing his chest.

"But, I really don't want my mother to come up here, when she realizes how long we've been gone, and find us in my bed," he laughed.

She sighed, pulling away from him. "That's true," she smirked. "But you better make up for it later."

"Oh, I promise," he assured her. He adjusted his shirt, and they left the room, hoping to avoid awkward questions about the length of their absense. And, Jack noticed, the fact that Kate was wearing his football jersey.

His mother was seated when they came back, and the maid was bringing in the food. Jack moved toward his seat, but noticed Kate wasn't behind him. He looked back and saw her standing in the doorway. "You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," she nodded, "fine." She took her seat, and dinner went fairly well. The three made small talk, and Jack and Kate filled Margo in about the pregnancy. Aside from a few comments, she was suprisingly polite and accepting. It seemed she was really going to try to get along with Kate and Jack. She didn't even comment on the jersey.

However, Jack couldn't help but notice Kate's facial expressions throughout the dinner. At times, her face contorted, as if in pain. Finally, when she let out a soft gasp during dessert, Jack spoke up again. "Kate, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," she replied, but he could hear the confusion in her voice. "Just a stomach ache."

Jack's eyes widened, his face full of concern. "Are you sure?"

Kate finally made eye contact with him, and he could see the fear in her green eyes. "No." She stood up, backing away from the table. "Jack, could they be contractions?" she asked, her voice shaking.

Margo froze, fork in midair. "I thought she was just over eight months."

"I am," Kate replied, still waiting for Jack's answer.

He stood up, making his way over to her. "They could definatly be contractions, Kate. We should-," he stopped, seeing her close her eyes tighly. "What's wrong?" She opened her eyes and looked down, and he follwed her gaze, his mouth dropping.

"I think my water just broke."


	34. Take A Deep Breath Now

Thanks for the reviews. This story has about a chapter or two left of it, so I'd love for those of you who haven't reviewed, but are reading, to start now! Anyway, I really liked writing this chapter, with all the emotions.

* * *

"It's okay, Kate, just breathe," Jack comforted her, all the while trying to keep his eyes on the road. 

"No, no, it's too early. We had three more weeks!" she exclaimed.

"Twins are sometimes early. It happens alot," Jack replied. In reality, he was trying to assure himself just as much as her.

"But, they said one of them was concieved a week later, which makes it four weeks early," she reminded him. "What if-" she stopped, her face contorting in pain. He reached one hand over, keeping the other on the steering wheel, and she clung tightly to it.

"Look on the bright side. Your water broke all over my mother's imported rug," he smirked.

Her eyes widened, but she couldn't stop the fit of laughter after the contraction passed. "As if that night wasn't shocking enough for her. Is she really going to meet us at the hospital?"

"I told her I'd call her," Jack shrugged. "She can wait until after they're born. This is stressful enough as it is."

Kate nodded. Glancing sideways at him, she whispered something incomprehendible.

"What?" he asked.

"I, uh, haven't picked a name yet," she said quietly. "I just can't. I even bought one of those books, but I only looked through it once. I thought I had more-ah!" She winced again, stopping mid-sentence. Jack felt his fingers being gripped tightly, and almost cringed himself.

"They're getting closer together," he remarked.

"I hadn't noticed," Kate replied, with a weak attempt at a smile.

He laughed. "We're almost there, don't worry."

* * *

"Okay, Kate, push!" She heard the doctor's voice telling her to start, but she couldn't comprehend it. 

"No, it's too early," she stated simply.

"Kate?" she heard Jack's voice speaking softly to her. "It's going to be okay. You just really need to push. You need to get those babies out, so the doctors can take care of them. Okay?"

Weakly, she nodded. He smiled at her, seeing her forehead wrinkle in concentration. "Good job, Kate. You're doing great."

She let out a deep breath, slumping against her pillow as the contraction passed. A few pushes later, Dr. Delauny's head popped up, and she smiled at Kate.

"I can see the head," she said excitedly. "Come on, give me a big push."

Kate's eyes captured Jack's and he could see that her eyes were shining. "You can do it," he assured her.

Letting out a cry, Kate gave another push. As she laid back, breathing heavily, she was met with the sound of a crying baby.

"It's a boy," Dr. Delauny announced. Kate tried to control her tears, but couldn't help letting a few escape. Jack reached over and brushed them away, placing a deep kiss on her lips. Walking away, he returned holding the newly cleaned baby.

She reached out her arms, holding the tiny boy close to her. "Charlie," she whispered. Her face broke into an enormous smile. "He's amazing," she said shakily. Jack nodded furiously.

"Five and a half pounds," the doctor told her. "A little small, but he looks healthy. Now let's see if we can get another one."

Kate handed Charlie over to Jack, preparing herself to deliver the second baby. She started to shake slightly, realizing that it could only be smaller. Glancing over at Jack, she saw him place a kiss on the baby's forehead. Smiling, she stopped shaking.

Fifteen minutes later, she felt the second baby come out. Listening for the sound of crying, she froze when it didn't come. She saw scrambling nurses and doctors, and Jack's worried face.

"What's wrong?" she choked out.

"She's breathing very lightly, and is quite small," the doctor's tone was steady, though it didn't reassure Kate or Jack.

"Is she going to be okay?" Jack asked. When he didn't get an answer, he asked again. "Is she going to be okay?"

"I'm working on it, Dr. Shepard," replied Dr. Delauny.

He reached out to grab Kate's hand, still holding Charlie in the other. He could feel Kate's hand trembling.

"I need oxygen," they heard the doctor command suddenly. "She's not breathing on her own."

Kate let out a strangled sob and Jack fought back a lump in his throat. Charlie cried out a little at all the noise, before settling his head in Jack's arm.

"Jack," Kate said, her voice weak, "is she.." she trailed off.

Jack shook his head determindly. "She's going to be fine," he said, his voice not much stronger than hers. "She's going to be fine," he repeated, not sure who he was reassuring.

Their attention was turned quickly to the doctor, who was slowly approaching them.

"We have her on a breathing machine. Her lungs are weak, but if she makes it through tonight, there's a good chance of her being perfectly fine."

Jack felt Kate's grip tighten significantly. "_If_ she makes it through tonight? Is that.. likely?"

"I'm sorry, I can't be sure," replied Dr. Delauny, a saddened look on her face. "We'll just have to hope for the best."

Ten minutes later, Jack and Kate found themselves alone in the hospital room, Jack sitting by Kate's side. Every once in a while, he heard his finacee choke back a sob, as he rubbed her arm gently.

"What if.." she started, then had to stop to control her tears.

"No, Kate, don't think like that," Jack told her, his own voice shaking. "We have to be strong for her."

The doctor re-entered the room, smiling gently at the new parents. "Would you like to go see them?"

Kate nodded quickly, while Jack gave her a short, "yes." The doctor led them down the hall and into the nursery. They first came to Charlie's crib.

"You can hold him," the doctor said gently. Kate slowly reached in and lifted out her son, holding him tightly against her. She pressed his face to her's, planting a kiss on his nose.

Then they were led to their daughter's crib, which was bigger than Charlie's, with many more tubes and wires. Kate's eyes filled up with tears at the sight, seeing her little frame hooked up to the machines.

"She's so tiny," Kate breathed, placing her finger on the glass that surrounded her. She reached in, stroking her miniature hand.

Jack nodded. "She's beautiful." He put an arm around Kate, just as she started to cry again. Jack had never seen her this emotional, and it was unnerving. Then again, he himself was holding back tears.

"You get better, okay?" Kate choked out, staring down at their tiny daughter. "Please, you have to.. please." Her body wracked with sobs, and she buried her head in Jack's chest. "Can we go back?" she asked. "I need to go back."

"Of course," he replied, rubbing her back, feeling a tear escape his own eye. He led her back to her room, where they wanted to keep her overnight. He stepped into the hallway, calling his mother to tell her she shouldn't come by. When he re-entered the room, Kate was staring blankly at the wall.

"You were right," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"About what?" he asked.

"You kept saying one of them was a girl," she replied. She looked as if she was trying to smile, but failed. He joined her, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"We're going to get through this," he told her. "I promise."

It took her a while to fall asleep, but eventually the effects of labor caused her to doze off. Jack didn't sleep that night, keeping his eyes on Kate. Her last, whispered words before she fell asleep, kept haunting him.

_"I don't even have a name for her."

* * *

_Next chapter: Will their daughter make it? Maybe.. if you review!

No, I already know what I'm doing, but review anyway!


	35. Fighter

This one's pretty long, so I hope you like it. Let me just remind you all that I'm no doctor, so if any of my medical facts are wrong in this chapter or the last, well... they're close enough ;)! I keep changing my mind on how and when I want to end this, but I'm pretty sure I can guarantee that there will be no more than 38 chapters.

Oh, and if I'm someone who reviews any of your stories, my computer isn't letting me review. Don't think I forgot about you! I'll review the first chance I get.

* * *

The second Kate opened her eyes, Jack knew something was wrong. Her normally sparkling eyes were blank, not to mention puffy and swollen from crying. She made an attempt at what could hardly be called a smile, and he leaned over to give her a gentle kiss.

He knew that he probably looked the same way, but something about her appearance unnerved him. He hardly heard her when she asked, "Did you sleep?"

"Yeah," he lied, nodding.

It wasn't lost on her, as she shook her head. "No, you didn't."

He was sure that there were bags under his eyes, and that he looked a mess, giving himself away.

"The doctor hasn't been in yet," he told her, changing the subject. He finally saw a change in her expression, though now he wished he hadn't. The sorrow that flashed across her face rivaled the dead expression. "I was thinking of going to find her. Seeing how.. uh, how last night went."

He noticed her body tense, but she nodded. "Okay."

Looking her over, he asked gently, "Do you want to come?"

"No," she said quickly. "Just be quick."

Exiting the room, he went to the nursery, hoping to find somebody who knew about their daughter's condition. Before he could get there, he bumped into Dr. Delauny.

He felt any words he had planned evaporate from his mind, paralyzed by fear of what she would tell him. She seemed to notice, giving him a small smile.

"She made it through, Jack," she told him, and he felt as if a weight had been lifted from his chest. "But her condition hasn't changed."

His heart sank again. "She's still not..breathing?"

"Not on her own, no," answered the doctor. "It's still better than what could have happened, so we'll see how today goes."

He nodded glumly, turning to go into the room. Before he could reach the door, he changed his mind, walking back towards the nursery.

She looked just as she had yesterday, laying in her crib. It was marked by a label saying, Shepard, baby girl. He hoped Kate would think of a name soon, hating to see the anonnymous label.

"Hey," he said gently. "You did good last night. But... uh, I don't know about your mom. She's pretty shook up over this," he paused looking around. The room was empty of parents, and eerily quiet. "Actually, I am too. So, keep trying, okay?" He reached in to stroke one of her tiny fingers, before heading back to the room.

Kate was laying on the bed, completely still, her eyes trained on the ceiling. "I just talked to Dr. Delauny," he informed her. She didn't move, and he could understand. He hadn't wanted to ask the question either.

"She's hanging in there," he said gently. "There's no change, but no decline either. So.. that's good."

She nodded. "But she's not doing any better?"

"No," he replied. Her gaze was still fixed on the ceiling, and she hadn't even looked at him yet. Concern laced upon his face, he sat beside her, gently holding her hand in his. "Do you want to go see them?"

Biting down on her lip, she shook her head. "Not right now."

"Okay," he responded. "You should, eventually."

"I will," she responded shortly, though there was no change in her tone.

"I should go talk to the chief. Tell him I need the time off." She nodded in agreement, and he left again, feeling guilty for leaving her in that state.

Once outside, he turned in the opposite direction of the chief's office, entering an on-call room. Locking the door behind him, he sank onto the small bed, burying his head between his hands.

* * *

Back in the hospital room, Kate blinked away the tears that were threatening to fall. She felt bad for her coldness towards Jack, but she couldn't muster up the strength to be happy. 

She was her mother. Did she do something wrong? She had taken all the vitamins the doctor gave her. She had attended all her appointments. As far as twins went, they weren't even that early.

She wanted to go see her babies, to comfort the frail little girl struggling to breathe, but she couldn't. She couldn't watch her baby die.

* * *

An hour later, Claire arrived at the hospital. She didn't have Aaron, for which Kate was grateful. She didn't want to see Claire's happy, healthy baby. Not now. 

"Jack called me," her friend told her, sitting on the bed beside her. "He's not doing good, Kate. He doesn't know what to do."

"Neither do I," Kate replied. Gazing up at her friend with watery eyes, she asked, "What am I supposed to do, Claire?"

Claire shook her head. "I don't know. I just know that, you can't shut him out. Not at a time like this. You need each other."

"Is this my fault, Claire?" Kate burst out. "Did I do something wrong?"

Claire's eyes widened. "No, Kate, no. You couldn't have stopped this from happening."

Kate looked away. "Where's Jack?"

* * *

It took Claire almost a half an hour to find him, but she finally spotted him as he walked through the hospital doors. "Where did you go?" she asked, appalled by the fact that he had left. 

"I needed to get something. For Kate," he clarified, gesturing to the bag in his hand.

"She's asking for you," she told him, barely finishing before he had left to go find her.

Opening the door slowly, he stepped cautiously into the room. "Hi," he greeted her.

"Hey."

Opening the bag, he told her, "I brought something." He pulled it out placing it on her lap.

She frowned. "The baby name book? No, Jack, I can't," she said softly, handing it back.

"Yes, you can," he assured her. "You need to make this real. She needs a name."

"I can't make this real!" she exclaimed, her voice cracking. "I can't name her, knowing I might never get to call her by that name. Knowing she might not ever respond to it. I can't, Jack. I can't make this real."

He reached over to stroke her hair, calming her down. "You're right," he said simply, suprising her. "She might not get through this. She might not make it through this day. But what if she does? How long is this going to go on for? You need to name her, Kate, and you need to visit her. She needs her mother right now."

After a long pause, when he knew she was contemplating his repsonse, she nodded shakily. "Let's go."

* * *

He reached the baby first. Kate hung back, a good three feet behind. Reaching out a hand, which she took, Jack brought her closer. "She really is beautiful," Kate whispered. 

Jack nodded, gazing down at his daughter. "Any inspiration?" he asked.

Glumly, she shook her head. "I'll look at the book," At his gaze, she added, "I promise."

"I'm going to go see Charlie," Jack told her. "You want a minute alone?"

She nodded. "Thanks." When he left, her eyes returned to the tiny little girl in front of her.

"This shouldn't be so hard," she stated. "Naming you, I mean. It's just, I'm scared, okay? I admit it, I'm scared to death. So I need you to fight. You can do this. You can make it through this. Just, keep fighting." With that, she stepped away, mustering a smile at the newborn before catching up with Jack.

* * *

She forced Jack to take a nap, knowing he hadn't slept the night before. Deciding now was as good a time as any, she opened the baby book. She came across a few names she liked, but they didn't have any meaning. She wanted meaning. 

What she didn't know was that Jack wasn't really asleep. He watched her when she wasn't looking, seeing her bite her lip in concentration, staring at the words in front of her. For most people, naming a baby was generally easy. For Kate, nothing was easy. Especially this. He knew that now, she was determined to pick the perfect name. It was as if the baby's life rested in her hands. That if she picked the right name, the baby would live. Neither of them could understand it, but they accepted it.

* * *

Jack must have drifted of eventually, because when he opened his eyes, Kate was gone. Drowsily, he lifted himself off the bed. Hoping she had gone to see the babies again, he left the room, almost bumping into her on his way out. 

"Jack!" she exclaimed. "Come quick!" Her eyes were wide with what he couldn't tell was excitement or fear.

"What's the matter?" he asked, as she grabbed his hand and led him towards the nursery.

"I don't know! I was visitng Charlie and.. and her, and she started choking on the breathing tube. I got the doctor, but then I came right to you."

His heart sped up, and he'd never felt so much relief in his life. Not only was Kate back to normal, and letting him in again, but he was almost positive he knew what the choking meant.

"Kate, I think she's breathing!" He started walking faster, until he felt Kate's pull of protest. Realizing the effects of giving birth yesterday were causing her to move slower, he slowed his pace.

"Are you sure?" she asked breathlessly, as she struggled to move faster.

"I don't usually deal with this kind of stuff, so I'm not positive," he told her as they reached the nursery door. Walking inside, they both sucked in a breath seeing the doctor standing over the crib.

Creeping closer, almost scared to look, the two new parents peeked in at their baby. Holding their breath in anticipation, they watched the little girl. What they saw next was the most amazing sight either of them had ever seen. Her tiny chest rose and fell steadily, taking shaky breaths. Jack felt Kate fall against him, holding him in a crushing hug.

"She's breathing, Jack," she said softly, her voice full of amazement.

"Yeah," he agreed. "She's breathing."

Smiling against his chest, she looked determinedly into his eyes. "Cayden."

"What?" he asked in confusion.

"Cayden," she told him. "It means fighter."

* * *

You may have heard Cayden as a boys name, but it's actually unisex. I like it better for a girl, and I thought the meaning fit really well.

Also, I know Charlie got left out a little in this chapter, between Kate being all messed up and Cayden being sick, but trust me, he'll get his share of time too!


	36. It Was Never Really Gone

So, I lied about there being a few more chapters left. Actually, it wasn't really a lie, since I planned on doing a few more. They would have been about Jack and Kate with the babies, but that wasn't really the point of this story. There's not really much more to do with this story, and this seemed like the perfect way to end it. And might I add, my next story will have NO hospital scenes. I am way too sick of writing those:) I'm pretty excited about finishing this, since it will be my first finished jate story! So please, please, please, leave a review. Even if it's the first review you've left on this story, it'll encourage me to start another one. Enjoy!

* * *

Jack looked on as Kate held Cayden close, whispering into her ear. Charlie squirmed in Jack's arms, staring suspiciously at his sister. 

"I ain't never been a fan of babies, but I guess you didn't do too bad," Sawyer said, coming as close to a compliment as his attitude would allow.

Claire shoved him playfully. "They're beautiful," she assured them.

"They are little," Aaron said skeptically.

"So were you, once," Claire reminded him.

"I'm just glad they're both healthy now," said Kate. After the choking incident a few hours ago, the doctor had cheerfully told them that Cayden would most likely make a full recovery.

"So when do they get out?" Claire asked.

"Well, Charlie can leave today, but they're keeping Cayden for a few more days, just to make sure everything goes well," Jack told her.

Claire smiled, then glanced at her watch. "Oh! I have to bring Aaron for a playdate. I'll come right back after I drop him off."

She left the room, leaving Sawyer shaking his head. "That kid ain't even two yet, and he's got more friends than the three of us combined."

Kate glanced down at Cayden. "I wonder if these two will get along, or be the kind of siblings who fight over everything."

Jack groaned. "For our sakes, I hope they get along."

Sawyer smirked. "Don't worry, Uncle Sawyer will teach 'em everythin' they have to know."

Jack and Kate's eyes widened. "Oh, you are so not going near my babies," Kate teased.

"What? I ain't gonna corrupt their minds or nothin'. Just teach 'em a few tricks." He laughed at Kate's face. "Don't worry, Freckles. I'm only kiddin'."

Charlie started to cry, quickly followed by Cayden. "They've been up for so long," said Jack. "They're probably tired."

"Oh, I'll go put them back in the nursery," Kate said quickly. Now that she had gotten over her initial reaction to the babies, it seemed she was trying to make up for it. She awkwardly manuevered Charlie out of Jack's arms.

"You want some help with that?" he asked.

"No!" she smiled. "I'm fine." She exited, leaving Jack and Sawyer alone together.

The two men shuffled around awkwardly, neither knowing what to say now that the women were gone. "So, Doc, how's life bein' a daddy?" Sawyer smirked.

"Considering it's only been a little over a day, not bad," Jack laughed. "It's actually pretty great."

"Now don't go all soft on me," Sawyer warned. "And I ain't that friend you tell all the cute stories to either. You can complain all you want though, I could get a good laugh out of that."

Jack laughed, but he knew that Sawyer was somewhat serious. After all, this could have very well been his life. He probably didn't love to hear about how happy Kate was with Jack.

"So we won't talk about the babies. How about we talk about you and Claire?" Jack asked, a small smile creeping onto his face.

Sawyer looked down at his feet, mumbling something under his breath. "What about me and Claire?" he asked eventually.

"I probably wouldn't have noticed if Kate hadn't pointed it out, but you two have been spending alot of time together", Jack told him.

"It ain't a big deal. She visited me alot in the hospital, and she just hasn't stopped. Still brings the kid over," he complained, though Jack thought he could hear a bit of softness in his voice.

"Right," Jack told him, not believing him for a second. "Just remember, she's my sister. So if you hurt her, I'll kill you," he smiled.

"I ain't gonna hurt her," Sawyer replied, perhaps too soon. Realizing he blew his cover, he sighed. "So I like her, is that alright with you?" he said, still trying to down play his emotions. "It ain't that serious."

Just then, Kate came back into the room. "What's not serious?" she asked.

"Nothin," Sawyer grumbled. Kate raised her eyebrows at Jack, and he gave her a look that indicated he would fill her in later.

"I gotta get outta here before I run into Juanita," Sawyer said suddenly, trying desperatly to change the subject. "What's taking Mamacita so long? She's my ride." Seeing Jack's amused face, and realizing he had changed the subject back to Claire, he shook his head. "I'm going to the cafeteria. Leave you two lovebrids alone."

After he left, Jack turned to Kate. "They need middle names," he mused.

"I forgot about that," Kate groaned. "Not more names."

Jack chuckled. "These aren't as important. No pressure."

Kate stared at him, deep in thought. "We could give Charlie Sawyer's name. His real one I mean."

"You want me to name our son after your ex-boyfriend?" Jack asked incredulously.

"Well, he's been so great about this whole ordeal. I mean, he could have gotten so much angrier than he did," She defended.

Jack nodded slowly,a slight twinkle in his eye. "That's true. Plus, the kids will have the same initials, CJS."

"What do you mean?" Kate asked. "You have an idea for Cayden's middle name?"

"Sure. In the spirit of exes, I thought Juliet would be perfect." He couldn't keep the small smile from forming on his face.

Kate pouted, then laughed. "Point taken. No exes."

* * *

A week later, the small family was standing outside their new house. Well, Kate and Jack were holding the babies. The delivery truck was just pulling away, after putting up the large furniture. 

"You ready to go in?" Jack asked.

Kate nodded, smiling. "Absolutely. I just can't get over how beautiful-ow!" She stopped mid-sentance, gently prying her hair from Charlie's small fingers. Jack laughed at her, and she shot him a playful glare. "You are so lucky you have short hair."

"I have to agree to that," he replied. Wrapping his free hand loosely around hers, they stepped towards the house. Before they could reach the door, Kate leaned over to give him a quick kiss, nearly squishing Charlie and Cayden in the process. "I love you," he told her, fiddling with the key as she pulled away.

"I love you too," she replied. "I always did."

She could try, had tried, to stop loving Jack. But in the end, was it worth it? Putting herself through complete misery to save him, when they could both be happy together? Looking around her, at her two children and soon to be husband, she realized she had found the answer. Coming together had saved them both. Even if it had happened under the worst of circumstances, she wouldn't want it any other way.

* * *

I hope you all liked the ending. I might do a sequal, like I mentioned before, a series of one-shots. Not right away though, and it won't be updated regularly. So, I'm not making any promises here! To be honest, I am looking forward to a nice, long break from this fic. I've been writing it for so long! I hope you all read my next story, and it'll probably be up within a week. Here's a preview of what I might do. I have another (actually a few other) ideas too, so let me know if you like this! 

**AU Season One, Jack and Kate's seats are both moved up to first class (Kate is still with the marshall). What if, instead of everyone in first class dying, there were two survivors? How will they cope, seperated from all other living members of the crash? And will they be able to fight off a growing attraction to each other, despite all their differences? **


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